


Chance Encounters

by dejong679



Category: Sanditon (TV 2019), Sanditon - Jane Austen
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:15:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 42
Words: 101,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22337656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dejong679/pseuds/dejong679
Summary: A modern AU where two friendship groups meet at a New Year party. From there follows a series of events, twists and turns, but which will ultimately conclude in a HEA (this is based on Austen after all). Contains some elements of the original Sanditon story, but also goes off in new directions.**NOW COMPLETE**
Relationships: Charlotte Heywood/Sidney Parker, Clara Brereton/Mr. Crowe, Georgiana Lambe/Otis Molyneux, Lord Babington/Esther Denham
Comments: 724
Kudos: 751





	1. New Year's plans

**Author's Note:**

> So - I'm a bit(!) late to the 12 days of Christmas Sanditon party, but I had this story in my head and thought I'd put it down on paper...
> 
> Hope you enjoy. As always, comments welcome!

Esther was giddy with excitement at the prospect of leaving Sanditon for a few days to go to London for New Year. It had been four long months since she’d seen her friends, Charlotte and Clara and she was looking forward to their tradition of spending New Year together. The three friends had met at Durham University just over six years ago. Some would say that it was the most unlikely of friendships, but as what usually happens when random people are thrown into living with each other in university accommodation, a sense of camaraderie was quickly established and a firm friendship had developed.

Esther came from Sanditon, a seaside town on the South East coast where she had lived with her Great Aunt, a Lady Elizabeth Denham (yes, she was related to nobility). Her Aunt had owned Sanditon House, an eighteenth century manor house which had the most magnificent grounds and gardens. Up until fairly recently (by historical standards), the Denhams’ estate was very large, but in the 1980s, Lady Denham had sold a lot of land to a developer, Parker & Sons, who had in turn built new housing and commercial outlets with the ambition to make Sanditon a fashionable tourist destination. The Parker family still resided in Sanditon and ran the town’s prestigious five star hotel and spa, Northanger Hotel, which also had a Michelin star restaurant.

Esther had a step-brother, Edward. Her mother and step-father had died in a tragic car accident when Esther was seven and Edward was ten. Lady Denham had taken in Esther and Edward after this. Lady Denham had lost her husband only after 5 years of marriage. She was not inclined to remarry, and she did not have any children. As such, she made it abundantly clear that she did not relish her new role as their guardian and hired a Nanny to look after Esther and Edward. Esther did not enjoy growing up in Sanditon. Whilst living a life of a privilege had its advantages, she was deeply scarred by her parents untimely deaths and therefore became rather cold and distant, no doubt also due to the indifference of her Aunt. She didn’t have any close friends growing up, apart from Edward, and came to resent living in Sanditon. She left as soon as she could, determined to get as far away as possible – ending up in Durham and studying History of Art. It was here that she met Charlotte and Clara who almost instantly accepted her for who she was. It was the first real friendships she had ever had.

Esther’s relationship with her brother was initially very close. But he too had his demons and had run off to Manchester at the age of 16. He had broken her heart then. They were estranged for many years until two years ago when her Aunt had fallen ill and Esther was determined to find Edward to be reconciled. She had found him better than she had expected, working for a homeless charity in Manchester – one, she had found out, which had helped him when he found himself destitute and in need. The charity had provided him with supported accommodation and helped him get a decent education. He was so changed and inspired by their actions, that he himself had ended up working for them, eager to help others in the way he himself had been helped.

Lady Denham was diagnosed with breast cancer and, after a battle of nearly a year, succumbed to her illness. During her illness, she and Esther had got close, and it therefore came as no surprise that she had left Esther Sanditon House in her will. Esther knew exactly what she wanted to do with her inheritance. Tom Parker, the current Northanger Hotel owner and business entrepreneur had long been trying to encourage Lady Denham to go into partnership with him and open up Sanditon House to the public. He was convinced that stately homes were an incredibly popular tourist attraction. Whilst Sanditon House would never hold the same prestige as Chatsworth or Blenheim Palace, it seemed like an intriguing business venture and as Esther did not desire to live at Sanditon House herself, she had decided to go into partnership with Tom and make his dream a reality. There was a lot of renovation work to do and the opening was due in May. Esther and Tom had been working flat out over the last few months and therefore the prospect of a few days off between Christmas and New Year was very welcome to Esther indeed.

_ESTHER (via WhatsApp group): So… Good news - I’ve finally got round to booking my train for New Year. I’m so looking forward to seeing you guys again! xoxoxo_

_CLARA: A M A Z I N G! Can’t wait to see you._ _😊 I’ve found the perfect place to go out. It’s a new wine bar on the Thames – will have fabulous views of the fireworks. I know the owner, so got us free tickets. Meant to be quite quaint and cosy. Should be fun?! xxx_

_ESTHER: Friend????!!!!!!_

_CLARA: Just someone I met at the Jazz Café the other week._

_ESTHER: Interesting – looking forward to hearing more._

_CHARLOTTE: It still amazes me how you manage to meet these people Clara!_

_CLARA: Well perhaps you would too if you ever went out._

_CHARLOTTE: I go out!_

_CLARA: When?_

_CHARLOTTE: My work xmas party last week._

_CLARA: Exactly my point._

_CHARLOTTE: Ok, fair play._

_ESTHER: Well at least you got an xmas party. The night scene in Sanditon leaves much to be desired._

_CLARA: Come on, we’re not middle aged yet! Will be a great night out. Oh yes, and I’ve got a ticket for Georgie too Charlotte._

(Georgiana Lambe worked with Charlotte)

_CHARLOTTE: Great – she’ll be thrilled._

_ESTHER: Yay! See you in a couple of weeks. xoxoxox_

_CHARLOTTE: Whoop! xx_

_CLARA:_ _😉 xxxxxx_

Charlotte smiled as the messages pinged on her phone. How she loved her friends! She was so excited about New Year and was in desperate need of a break. She’d started her job as a newly qualified solicitor in commercial law at Thornton and Hale LLP in September and it really was a sink or swim experience. Whilst not a magic circle firm, the firm was in the top 20 law firms in the country and the work was very demanding. There had already been a few all-nighters, but this was part and parcel of the job.

As soon as Esther’s inheritance had come to light, she had instructed Charlotte’s firm to deal with the legal elements of the project, which greatly impressed the Partners and had led to her being offered a permanent position. Charlotte still sometimes couldn’t believe that a farmer’s daughter from the tiny village of Willingden had come to work at such a reputable law firm. She had been the first to go to university in her family and they were incredibly proud of her.

Charlotte and Clara shared an apartment in London, Clara having secured a place at Imperial College to do a PhD in Chemistry after she graduated from Durham. Charlotte loved living in London, but her social life was rather limited, although she did go out every so often for work functions. The friends’ New Year meet up was therefore long overdue.

“Charlotte – have you finished drafting that contract yet?” Her boss chanted, breaking out of her musings.

“Nearly – should be there in the next half an hour.” She replied.

“Great. Thanks.”

Right – back to work Charlotte.

********************************

Meanwhile, another series of WhatsApp messages were being sent among group of friends.

_CROWE: So Sid – you’re definitely coming for New Year aren’t you? Big night for us._

_PARKER: I promised didn’t I?_

_CROWE: Yes, but we know what you’re feelings are towards New Year. You better not bail on us this time._

_PARKER: I was ill last year_

_BABS: No you weren’t_

_PARKER: F*** off_

_CROWE: Well you aren’t playing that card this year. No excuses. Be there Parker._

_CROWE: … pretty please_

_BABS: … pretty pretty please…_

_PARKER: Fine_

Sidney put his phone to one side and gazed out the window in his office in Canary Wharf. (He was a technical director of a large tech company, which at the age of only 29 was pretty impressive). He really didn’t want to celebrate New Year, but he owed it to his friends to support them in their latest business venture. Crowe, Babington and Sidney had been friends since they met as boys at Winchester College. They each went to separate universities, but stayed in touch and eventually all ended up in London. On leaving university, Harry Crowe and George Babington had gone into business together. They had set up a wine bar in Soho and it had been so successful, that six months ago they had bought another in a well sought after location on the Thames. New Year was a big night for the new bar, particularly given its proximity to the famous midnight firework display and they were counting on Sidney to bring his network with him. Crowe ran the day-to-day business and Babington was more of an executive director. This was because Babington was in fact the son of the Earl of Chichester and was due to inherit his title and estate on his death and in the last two years, his father had passed a lot of the management of the estate to his son.

Sidney’s phone rang – it was his brother, Tom. He had a meeting in 10 minutes, so didn’t answer as he knew his brother would demand at least half an hour of his time. Since Tom had entered into partnership with Esther Denham, he was constantly badgering Sidney for favours to move the Sanditon House project forward. Sidney was well connected and moved in influential circles and Tom wanted to use that to his advantage. Sidney wanted to help his brother, but he also had a day job to do!

He sent him a polite text telling him he’d call him later and went off to his meeting.

*********************************


	2. Introductions

Charlotte had to work on New Year’s eve, but thankfully the office was closing an hour early so she had plenty of time to get ready for her long awaited night out. When she arrived back at the apartment, Esther and Clara had already opened a bottle of wine and were starting to get ready.

“Steady on or you’ll never make it to midnight!” Charlotte exclaimed.

“Want one?” Clara teased.

“Ok – but just a small one. You know what I’m like on wine.”

It was like they had been transported back six years and they were all at University again. Esther had found one of their Uni mix tapes which was blaring out all their favourite tunes. They were singing along as Clara was deciding which little black dress to wear and Esther was trying to tame Charlotte’s wild brunette locks with the ghds.

Charlotte was not a girly girl. Whilst she did enjoy pampering herself every so often, she was no good with hair or make-up, so wore the bare minimum. She wasn’t particularly fashionable, but when she got her job, she had treated herself to a pair of red Louboutin stilettos which had only made it out for a couple of occasions. She was determined to wear them tonight, but, ever one for planning ahead, she had also packed a pair of pumps in her bag as she was unsure whether her feet would hold out for the night. She slipped on a pair of navy skinny jeans and a red off the shoulder sweater which matched her shoes. Charlotte wasn’t one for showing too much flesh, particularly in December, but the clothes showed off her curves nicely.

The doorbell went.

“That’ll be Georgie!” Charlotte said running to the door to let her in. After pouring her a drink, Georgie asked.

“So, Clara – are you going to tell us how you know the owner of this establishment we’re going to?” Georgie could always be counted on to be direct.

“His name is Harry, I met him at the Jazz café a few weeks ago.” Clara replied.

“And…” Georgie said urging her on.

“And you know, he took me back to his flat and we had a good time.” Clara smirked and they all giggled.

“So… is it a one-time thing do you think? Or do you think you’ll hook up again?”

“Don’t know. Maybe. I guess we’ll see how tonight goes.”

“So we won’t expect you to come home with us then?” Esther grinned.

“Who knows. But don’t wait up.” Clara winked and they all fell about giggling like teenagers again.

The wine continued to flow, so that once they were finally ready, they were all in a very jolly mood. They called a taxi and headed off to their destination. They joined the queue for the bar when they arrived and made their way in. As they entered they were greeted at the door.

“Clara – you made it!” A tall, lanky guy with a kind face appeared. 

“Harry – good to see you.” Clara replied. “These are my friends, Charlotte, Esther and Georgie.”

“Glad you could come – please help yourself a complimentary glass of bubbly.” He ushered them inside.

“Friends of yours Crowe?” A friendly looking gentleman appeared next to Harry.

“Ah yes, ladies, this is my friend and co-owner of this establishment, George Babington.”

Charlotte noticed George’s eyes linger on Esther longer than the rest of them.

“Nice to meet you all. Thanks for coming. I hope you’ve all come to eat, drink and be merry.” He was being rather formal.

“Of course.” Charlotte responded enthusiastically.

“Great! Well perhaps catch you all later – Crowe, we need to see to the canopies.”

“Later ladies.”

And off they went.

***************************

Sidney was running late. He’d promised Babington and Crowe that he would be at the bar by eight, but he had got tied up at work… Well, that would be his excuse anyway. Sidney hated New Year and he really was not in the mood to be sociable, so he had delayed his appearance for as long as he could get away it. However, when he finally got there, he instantly regretted not having arrived earlier, as everyone was pretty merry and tipsy, and he was stone cold sober! Plus he had missed out on the complimentary prosecco. How he was going to get through this evening, he did not know.

The new Babington/Crowe establishment was full, but not uncomfortably so, of revellers, each with a glass of wine in his/her hand. The new bar had a bit of an odd mix of the old and new. Overall it had a modern feel, but there were also some homely features, including a TV in the corner, an American pool table and an array of board games for customers to play. Crowe had fixed up a band to play later in the evening and canopies were making their way round the guests.

As Sidney entered the building he was immediately accosted by Babington.

“Parker – you made it!”

“So it would seem.” Sidney replied less than enthusiastically.

“God Sid – you don’t need to be so cheerful about it! Come on, let’s get you a drink.”

They started walking towards the bar.

“Babbers, can you give me a hand over here?” Crowe called over.

“Sorry Sid – I’ll be right back. Go get a drink and please, _try_ and enjoy yourself.”

Sidney meandered over to the bar, not really paying attention to his surroundings, such was his melancholy mood. The bar was pretty crowded, but he caught the eye of the barwoman straight away and she came over.

“What can I get you?”

“Large glass of Rioja please.”

As the barwoman went to get his drink, the person next to him fidgeted and whispered under her breath, but still but loud enough for him to hear “Typical!”. 

“Excuse me…?” Sidney retorted, whipping his head round, irritated, his eyes falling on a girl. 

The girl was leaning on the bar, card in hand and had a scowl on her face. The scowl had the opposite effect on Sidney than perhaps she had intended because he thought it looked quite adorable. The girl blushed slightly and turned towards him. Her eyes were beautiful – big and brown and they widened slightly as she caught sight of him.

“Ah… yes… Sorry. I was being an arse…. It’s just I’ve been waiting here for at least five minutes and then you come along and get served straight away... no doubt due to the fact you are male and have an attractive dark brooding look about you.”

Her eyes flitted between him and the barwoman, who Sidney noticed kept glancing in his direction. He knew he was good looking, but he hadn't heard it from someone he had just met before, so it took him a bit by surprise.

"That's rather presumptuous." He said sounding slightly annoyed, although in reality the girl intrigued him. The girl's blush deepened as she realised what she had said. Then, feeling a bit playful he added "Maybe I've just developed the knack for getting served first?"

“There's a knack?” She said, smiling and playing along.

“Yup. You’ve got to be confident, look them in the eye. Takes years of practice…”

“Right, well, must be the lack of practice then seeing as this is my first night out in months.” She replied.

“Months?” 

She nodded and bit her lip in embarrassment which made Sidney’s heart start to beat faster and his stomach flip. God she was gorgeous! He gazed at her for a moment, until the barwoman interrupted.

“That will be £6.40 please.”

“Oh and whatever she’s having.” He replied, still looking at the girl when answering.

“Oh, no you don’t have to. I’m buying a round for my friends.”

“No it’s fine. I owe you for pushing in front.”

“OK… three glasses of merlot and a pinot grigio please.”

The barwoman nodded and walked off to get the drinks.

“So how come you haven’t been out in months?” Sidney asked inquisitively.

“Oh, nothing exciting, just working.”

“What do you do?”

“I’m a solicitor.”

“What firm?”

“Thornton & Hale”.

“I know of it – my brother is one of your clients… Not that we should be talking shop on your first night out in months!”

The girl smiled.

"So what were you brooding about before?" Gosh, she was straight to the point.

"I just don't like New Year." He shrugged.

"Why?"

Sidney paused for a moment, unsure what to say. She was a stranger after all, but something about her made him want to confess the truth.

"I caught my fiancée in bed with someone else 5 years ago. Haven't celebrated New Year since."

"Ouch!"

"Yup." He sighed and took a swig of wine.

"Well, in that case, I forgive you for pushing in before me. I should be buying you a drink!"

"Not necessary."

There was a slight pause until she broke the silence before it became awkward.

"So if you hate New Year so much, what persuaded you to come out tonight?" She seemed genuinely interested.

"Duty. Loyalty. A sense of obligation...."

"To whom?"

"My friends - they own the bar."

"I see. So is this one of your usual haunts?” She asked.

“Not really."

“Oh. But if they’re your friends, then why don’t you come here more often?” She asked

Sidney was momentarily distracted by the cute little frown that appeared between her eyebrows. 

“I’ve been busy… working.” He replied

“Ah… Touché.”

He smiled then, his first proper and genuine smile since he had entered the bar.

"Was that I smile I detected?" She asked a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Oh I doubt it!" He replied, but still smiling nonetheless.

The barwoman returned and Sidney paid for the drinks.

“Well, thanks for the drinks. I better get these to my friends.”

“Sure. Have a good night…” Sidney replied.

The girl stood and looked at him for a moment, smiled and then walked off.

 _Maybe tonight won’t be so bad after all._ Sidney thought.

*******************

Charlotte returned to her friends, drinks in hand, somewhat distracted by her encounter with a tall dark stranger.

“You OK Charlotte?” Georgie asked

“Yeah… just… met a cute guy.”

“Where?” Esther asked looking over the bar.

“Don’t look, he’ll see you!” Charlotte said all embarrassed.

“Come on Charlotte, it’s about time you met someone new. It’s been nearly two years since you broke up with James.” Clara said. “Which one is he? The blonde in the blue shirt?”

Charlotte looked over.

“No, the tall dark handsome one wearing the white shirt... talking to your ‘friend’, Clara... at the bar.” Charlotte replied.

“Oh my God! Sidney Parker!” Esther exclaimed.


	3. A game of pool

“You know him?” Charlotte asked incredulously.

“Well, not really. I’ve only met him a couple of times. He’s Tom’s brother.” Esther replied, then noticing their confused faces. “Tom as in Tom Parker, my business partner.”

“Oh…” They all chanted as the penny dropped.

“That would make sense as he mentioned his brother was one of my firm’s clients.” said Charlotte processing this information. “So… what do you know about him?”

“Only that he lives in London and he's got a wide network. He’s helped us out quite a bit by putting us in touch with the right people for our Project. Tom relies on his connections quite heavily. I think a lot of his business associates come and stay at Northanger Hotel. But I also know for a fact that there is no one serious on the scene. Tom’s wife, Mary mentioned it to me the other day. She is hoping he’ll settle down soon. Apparently he's had some, what did Mary say, 'bruising experiences in the past'.”

Charlotte's thoughts turned to the comment Sidney had made about what happened to him five years ago. She didn't feel that she should share this with the group.

“So what do you think he’s doing here?” Georgie asked.

“He said the bar owners were friends of his.” Charlotte explained.

“He knows Harry?” Clara asked.

Charlotte nodded and added, “but can we please stop gawping at him, I don’t want to be too obvious.”

“Charlotte… You’ve not even hinted at being attracted to anyone in the last two years. Maybe it’s time to be obvious?!” Clara suggested.

“Why don’t we go over and I can introduce us and then you two can get better acquainted?” Esther suggested mischievously.

“I dunno….” Charlotte said nervously.

“Come on – what have you got to lose?” Esther encouraged her.

Charlotte sighed heavily and downed her wine for a bit of Dutch courage. “Fine.”

They made their way over the bar where Sidney was engaged in conversation with Crowe.

“Sidney Parker…” Esther said.

 _Oh God,_ thought Sidney, _who is it this time?_ He turned round and saw four girls surrounding him, including the pretty brunette he’d just met who was looking at him with a curious expression and…

“Esther Denham! Fancy seeing you here!” Sidney said, taken slightly aback.

“And you.”

“So you’ve managed to escape Sanditon then?”

Esther smiled. “Yes, thankfully.”

“Who are you here with?” Sidney asked, looking at her companions, his gaze coming to rest on Charlotte.

“This is Charlotte and Clara – old friends from Uni. And this is Georgie who works with Charlotte.”

Sidney smiled politely. Charlotte just about managed a smile back, but she was nervous.

“I take it you’ve already met Cro… Harry?” Sidney asked.

“Yes, some of us more times than others…” Esther said suggestively, making Clara blush slightly as she shared a knowing glance with Crowe which everyone noticed.

“So how do you two know each other?” Esther continued looking between Sidney and Crowe.

“School.” Crowe replied.

“Everything alright?” Babington walked over to join them, eager to join in the conversation, particularly when it involved a stunning redhead with a twinkle in her eye.

“Babington. Turns out Sid knows Esther here from Sanditon.” Crowe said to catch Babington up.

“Oh great.” Babington responded, giving Sidney a quizzical look, but Sidney was still looking at Charlotte.

“Yes, Tom and Esther are working together. They’re turning Esther’s house into a tourist attraction.” Sidney elaborated.

“...I was left it by my Aunt who passed away a year ago. It’s an eighteenth century manor house.” Esther continued.

“Sounds interesting. I’ve been thinking of doing the same with one of my properties.”

“Babington here is the son of an Earl…” Crowe interrupted with a smirk on his face, enjoying the reactions from the girls.

“Thanks for that Crowe! It’s really not that big a deal. Anyway, Esther, it would be good to chat some more about it.”

“Would it, Babington, was it?” Esther asked eyes widening and a smirk on her face.

“George, but Babington is fine.”

“Maybe another time. Tonight I intend on purely enjoying myself, no business talk.”

“Another time then. But on the subject of enjoying ourselves - the pool table is free. Anyone fancy a game?”

Crowe rolled his eyes, “That’s hardly an enticing proposition. How about we make it a bit more interesting?” He grinned.

“You mean a drinking game?” Sidney interjected.

“Yup.”

“Really? Aren’t we a bit too old for this?” Esther said less than impressed.

“Come on Esther, give it a chance” Clara said

“Fine.” She signed defeatedly, “how do we play?”

“Well, we split into two teams… girls and boys, naturally. Each team picks their best player. Every time a player pots a ball, the opposite team has a drink." Crowe explained. 

“OK, well sounds simple enough. We pick Charlotte.” said Esther.

“And we pick Sidney.” Babington added. “But we’ll be needing some more drinks. Emily – can you bring some over? Thanks.” He said to the barwoman.

They made their way over to the pool table.

“Sid is very good you know – you don’t stand chance.” Babington whispered close into Esther’s ear.

“I wouldn’t underestimate Charlotte if I were you. She may be little, but she’s a shark at the pool table.”

Babington laughed a bit over-enthusiastically which made the rest of the group exchange smirks.

Charlotte and Sidney were eyeing each other up. They’d not exchanged so much as a word since their conversation at the bar.

“Ladies first...” Sidney said in his deep tones which made Charlotte shiver slightly. He handed her the pool cue. 

Charlotte made the break shot, but none of the balls went in the pockets leaving an open table for Sidney.

“Unlucky.” He smirked.

“It was the break shot – I wasn’t aiming to pot anything.” She said defensively.

“If you say so…”

Charlotte gave Sidney a stubborn look which sent his heart aflutter again. He took a breath to calm himself down so he could take his first shot. He miss-hit the cue ball slightly, no doubt due to the effect of Charlotte’s presence on him, but somehow he managed to pot the first ball anyway which caused all the girls to drink. Determined not to let Charlotte faze him again, Sidney then proceeded to pot the remaining stripes without any difficultly, until only the black was left. Unfortunately for Sidney, the black ball was an awkward shot, so his only option was to attempt to snooker Charlotte, which he managed to execute pretty well.

“Impressive. Now let me show you how to clean the table.” Charlotte said flirtatiously. Sidney swallowed. He didn’t know if he’d ever heard someone talk about pool so seductively.

Charlotte walked round the opposite end of the table, flashing Sidney a glimpse of her cleavage as she lent over her cue to take her shot which made him swallow again. She made an excellent first shot, managing to escape Sidney’s attempted snooker and potting the first solid ball. All the boys took a drink. Then, just like Sidney, she made her way round the table, potting each solid until only the black was left. This time, however, she potted the black without any difficulty.

“Touché.” Sidney said looking at Charlotte with a glint in his eye and they both smiled.

“Well, looks like we’re out of drinks again. I’ll get Emily to bring some over. And Crowe – we better check on the band.” Babington and Crowe headed off.

“So how did you get so good at pool?” Sidney asked Charlotte.

“Oh, at Uni. We lived on a street which had a pub at the top of the road with some pool tables. Me and my ex went there quite often for a cheap date… How about you?”

Sidney had noticed Charlotte's causal reference to her ex and wondered if that meant she was currently single.

“At school. I wasn’t really into the traditional sports, you know, football, rugby and the like. So I spent lots of my free time in the games room playing pool instead.”

"A "games room"? What sort of school did you go to?"

"Winchester College."

“Ah - that explains it. Well, I’m pleased to see that the game seems to have broken you out of your brooding.” Charlotte said teasingly

“Is that so? Well I seem to recall you saying it was an attractive look?” He replied with a smouldering gaze which caused Charlotte blush profusely and be at a complete loss to know what to say next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your comments so far - I love this community! Lots more story to tell, but the next update will have to wait a few days (sorry). Enjoy!


	4. An unwelcome text

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok - so I managed to find the time to write the next chapter...

Sidney was finding it difficult to take his eyes off her. His last flirtatious remark to Charlotte had made her go a delightful shade of pink. Embarrassed, she was currently looking at her feet which had given him the opportunity to take her all in without giving himself away. He hadn’t been this attracted to someone for a long time. Since his broken engagement, he’d had a few flings and one-night stands, but nothing serious. The sexual encounters he’d had were just a physical thing and completely meaningless to him emotionally. The truth was that his heart had been so broken that he wouldn’t let anyone close to him. 

But Charlotte had taken him by surprise tonight. Even though their acquaintance so far had been incredibly brief, there was something about her that was drawing him in, causing him to let down his defences. As well as being absolutely stunning, she was clearly witty and clever. And now she had beaten him fair and square at pool! She intrigued him. There was clearly more to her than meets the eye and he was eager to find out more about her.

Emily came back with a round of drinks and the remainder of the group helped themselves to another glass of wine, breaking Sidney out of his musings. He took the opportunity to check his phone and noticed a message from an unknown number. On reading it, his playful mood quickly shifted, his look became dark again and he felt the sudden urge to run. He looked up at Charlotte who was studying him.

“Excuse me…” he said and hurried off to get some fresh air.

“What’s up with him?” Georgie asked Charlotte watching Sidney head out the door.

“Dunno, he just checked his phone and then ran off.” Charlotte replied.

“You should go after him.” Georgie urged.

“What? No!”

“Come on Charlotte, he’s clearly attracted to you, it’s obvious from the way he looks at you.”

“I don’t think so. He’s so out of my league.”

“Don’t talk stupid!”

“Well he is! He’s gorgeous, well connected, a high flyer, went to public school. And who am I? A plain Jane. A farmers daughter from Willingden.”

“Oh Charlotte, you always get like this when you have wine!”

“Get like what?”

“All insecure! Listen to me.” Georgie grabbed Charlotte’s arms and turned her round to face her.

“You are not a plain Jane. You are beautiful – and not just on the outside, on the inside too. You are kind, compassionate and loyal and the best friend I could hope for. And despite your sheltered childhood and state education – you have landed yourself an amazing job! Because you are brilliant. If Sidney Parker cannot see all of this, he is not worth it! But my opinion, for what is worth, is that he does see it - it’s written all over his face. Now pull yourself together and go after him.”

Charlotte sighed, smiled and gave her friend a hug.

“You’re right. Thanks for the pep talk. What would I do without you Georgie?”

Georgie smiled back. “Stop dawdling and go!”

“Right…” Charlotte headed in the direction Sidney was going, taking a few deep breaths to steady her nerves.

She found him outside, leaning on the metal fence by the Thames smoking an e-cigarette. He barely noticed her as she came alongside him.

“Hi…” She said nervously. “Is everything OK…?”

Sidney looked out to the river, took a drag and shook his head slightly, clearly agitated.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Charlotte asked softly.

He turned to face her and looked at her for a few moments, contemplating on whether to share whatever it was with her or not. Then he took his phone out of his pocket and gave it to her.

“I’ve just read this…”

Charlotte looked at the phone and read the message.

_I miss u. I’m sorry. L Xxx_

“Is this from your ex fiancée?”

Sidney nodded.

“Wow…” Charlotte didn’t really know how to respond to this. Instead, she felt like maybe she just needed to listen. She handed back the phone.

“She did this a lot for the first 12 months after we broke up, bombarding me with text messages, normally when she was drunk. This is the first text I've had for about three years.” Sidney explained.

Charlotte gave him a sympathetic look.

“God I hate New Year…” Sidney said as he took another drag.

They stood in silence for a while, looking out over the Thames. It was a beautifully clear night, the city lights dancing on the water. New Year revellers could be heard shouting and singing in the distance. 

After a couple of minutes, Charlotte said “Can we not rewrite our history, if we find it disagreeable?”

Sidney turned to look at her curiously. “What do you mean?”

She turned to face him.

“I mean, don’t let the bad things in the past define who you are today. Yes something really shitty happened to you five years ago. But don’t give your ex the satisfaction of having that hold over you. Rewrite today. Embrace it, make New Year mean something different, something positive.”

He was staring at her intensely, processing her words, and then he shook his head at her and broke into a smile.

“Very profound!” He replied.

Charlotte started giggling. “Yes, sorry, I think all the wine has gone to my head!”

“Bloody brilliant though!”

Sidney’s gaze softened and his face relaxed.

“So what are you going to do about that text?” Charlotte asked him.

Sidney looked at the message again, contemplating what to do next. Then he pressed the delete button. Charlotte smiled at him.

“Better?” She asked.

“Yes thanks.” said Sidney, a wave of relief pouring over him. They both turned to look out across the river again. Charlotte closed her eyes as she enjoyed the feel of the light breeze on her face. Unbeknown to Charlotte, Sidney was watching her intently. She looked so peaceful, so content. He wanted that. In fact, he had never realised how much he wanted that until this moment.

“A penny for your thoughts, Charlotte.” He said softly, not wanting to ruin the moment, but desperate to know what she was thinking.

She smiled, but kept her eyes closed. “I was just enjoying the stillness of this moment… It feels like I’ve not had the chance to stop, or even breathe, these last few months.”

She shivered slightly from the cold and opened her eyes, still gazing out at the river.

“You know, I’m a country girl at heart, but I have to say, the view from London is quite captivating tonight.”

Sidney couldn’t help but agree as he gazed at her, butterflies in the pit of his stomach.

“Where in the country are you from?” He asked.

“A village called Willingden. Heard of it?”

“No, sorry.”

“Very few have. It’s in Wiltshire. I grew up on a farm with my five brothers and sisters.”

“Five?”

“Yes!”

“That’s a lot of birthdays to remember.”

“Tell me about it. And now my elder brother has two of his own children that I need to add to the list.”

Sidney smiled. “I have two nieces and two nephews of my own. I love being an Uncle.”

“What – all the fun, none of the responsibility?” Charlotte teased.

“A bit I guess.” He smirked.

“Are they your brother Tom’s children?”

“Yeah.”

“Esther told me that you’ve been helping out with their Sanditon House project.”

“Well, I try to put him in touch with the right people, help him with grant applications and the like.” He took a big sigh. “Truth is, Tom is so demanding, he drives me mad! Nothing I do is ever good enough. He seems to forget that I have my own day job to do. I’m just supposed to drop everything and rush to his aid. I love him, but he’s so up his own arse sometimes…”

“I can tell he’s rather… trying, from what Esther has said.”

“Trying is one word for it…. Sorry, I shouldn’t be such a grumpy sod.”

Charlotte smiled shyly. “I dunno, the grumpy look is quite as attractive as the brooding look, so it’s not all that bad.”

He looked at her and they laughed.

The band had starting playing in the bar and they both glanced towards the entrance.

“Wanna go back inside and dance with me?” Sidney asked

“I’d love to.” Charlotte replied.

Sidney reached for her hand, interlaced his fingers with hers and led her to the door.


	5. Overcoming insecurities

Sidney had acted on instinct when reaching for her hand. It had felt so natural, so right to take it and he hoped that it didn’t come across as presumptuous. Charlotte’s hand was so small in his and so soft. It made him feel protective of her. He looked over to her. What was it about this girl? He had opened up to her straight away, something he found difficult to do even with his closest friends. Her words of advice to him had really struck him. How many wasted years had he spent moping over a girl that had treated him so badly? Well he wasn’t going to do so anymore. He was going to enjoy himself tonight... with Charlotte.

Charlotte was slightly taken aback when Sidney took her hand in his. She hadn’t experienced any form of physical touch from a guy outside her family since James. It didn’t feel wrong, and it wasn’t unwelcome, it was just... unexpected and... terrifying at the same time, particularly given that the person who was now holding her hand was probably the most attractive man she had ever met. She was so nervous. What if she didn’t meet his expectations? Surely a man so eligible could have any girl he wanted. Why would he want to settle for her? And now he wanted to dance with her, which she had accepted gladly, but now thinking about it, she was never a good dancer and was bound to step on his toes. She tried to tell herself to get a grip, but she was quickly reaching a point of heightened anxiety...

“Wait!” Charlotte said suddenly, tugging him away from the door.

“What is it?

“I need to tell you something.”

 _Oh f*** she has a boyfriend_ Sidney thought. He couldn’t hide the disappointment on his face.

“Ok...” he said with a sense of defeat.

Charlotte paused.

“I can’t dance...” she said, unable to look him in the eye due to her embarrassment.

He looked at her as if expecting more...

“I can’t dance. I’ve got two left feet.... I can barely even walk in these heels... I...” she closed her eyes and took a big sigh, all her insecurities suddenly brimming to the surface fuelled by the effects of the alcohol.

“Look, I grew up on a farm. I spent my childhood running through the fields climbing trees and making mud pies. Whilst other little girls were learning ballet, I was shooting game... I went to a small state school, my first job was helping my dad with the lambing and I was the first person in my family to go to university. How I ended up job I have I don’t know cos most of the time I feel so out of place, out of my depth, like I don’t belong here.” 

She took a breath and chanced a quick glance up at him. He was looking at her intently.

“And now you’ve asked me to dance and you’re... you’re... well you’re so bloody intimidating!”

Sidney was so confused.

“What exactly is happening here?”

Charlotte took a breath and then felt really stupid. What was happening here? Georgie was right, wine brought out all her insecurities. She looked at him apologetically.

“I’m freaking out aren’t I?”

“A little bit, yeah.”

“Oh God! What must you think of me?” She let go of his hand and put both hands over her face wishing she could disappear, feeling absolutely mortified.

He reached for her hands, peeled them off her face and looked at her softly. “It’s actually quite endearing.”

“Really? Sorry, I’m clearly no good at this. It’s been two years since a guy held my hand like that.”

He was surprised by this. He gave her hands a little stroke with his thumbs for reassurance and took a step towards her, continuing to gaze at her tenderly.

“And it’s been five years since I’ve been out for New Years... let’s not over think it. I like you and I want to dance with you... even if you’ve got two left feet!”

Charlotte’s stomach flipped. Did he actually say that he liked her?

“Ok...” she said reluctantly, “but if I step on your feet, you’ve been warned!”

Sidney chuckled.

“Come on.” He interlaced his fingers with hers again and led her through the door.

*********

"Where did Charlotte go?" Esther asked.

"Outside after Sidney. Something was up with him." Georgie replied.

“Well done Charlotte! It’s about time she put herself out there. It’s like she’s put her love life on hold since she moved to London to start her law career.” Esther mused.

“True. I did like James, though. But thinking back, there was always something missing between them. No spark. But talking about a spark, how did you like George Babington, Esther?” Clara asked.

Esther paused. Babington was far from the type of guy she would normally go for, particularly seeing as he was the son of an Earl. The trouble was that Babington reminded her of everything she had been trying to escape from all her life and this unnerved her.

“What do you mean?” She responded slightly coldly.

“Well... you seemed pretty cosy during the pool game, heads together whispering.”

“We were talking about the game.” Esther replied sounding almost bored.

“If you say so.” Georgie said.

“But what are your first impressions?” Clara pressed.

“That he is rather formal... he seems nice enough, but...”

“But...?” Her fiends said in tandem.

“But he’s the son of an Earl!”

“Well you’re related to nobility and you own a grand house.”

“Exactly my point. It would be an unmitigated disaster.”

“Oh Esther, you’re so melodramatic.” Clara said drolly.

Esther shot them both a look that said not to push the matter further, so they dropped it... The band was starting to play now and so the three friends made their way to the dance floor. After a couple of songs, they noticed Sidney and Charlotte reappear.

“Is Sidney holding Charlotte’s hand?” Georgie asked

“I believe he is.” Clara smirked.

The three friends turned to each other and giggled.

*********

When Sidney and Charlotte re-entered the bar they were met by a barrage of sound coming from the band who were really rather good. Sidney’s grip on Charlotte’s hand tightened slightly as he strode purposely towards the dance floor. Babington was trying to catch Sidney’s attention over the bar, but Sidney smiled at him and shook his head slightly indicating that now was not the time for interruptions.

An excellent rendition of Stevie Wonder's Signed, Sealed, Delivered had just started when they got there. An number of inebriated guests were already dancing away, but the dance floor was not over crowded. Sidney could tell Charlotte was tense and wondered what he could do to make her relax. He twirled her round to face him playfully, but she continued to look apprehensive. So he pulled her closer, one hand still interlaced with hers and the other coming to rest on her waist and whispered in her ear. 

"Don't think." He said, his voice was deep and seductive and made Charlotte's heart beat faster. 

He leaned back and looked at her, willing for her to trust him... His gaze was so intense that all at once she was lost to him, everything around her fading away so that all she could see, think and feel was him. 

He guided her as they started moving to the music, slowly at first, and then as she started to relax, more playfully as he twirled her round and caught her time and again. They continued like this for a few songs, wide smiles on their faces as they let themselves go until the tempo of the next song slowed down quite significantly. 

Sidney pulled Charlotte close to him, so close that their hips were almost touching. He slid one hand down to the base of her back while Charlotte rested her hand lightly on his shoulder. The tension between them was palpable, their breathing becoming laboured and their gaze fixed on each other utterly entranced. They swayed along with the music as if in a daze. Sidney drew their joined hands to rest on his chest and Charlotte was quite overcome by the intimacy of the gesture. After a while Sidney could not bear the tension any longer and leaned in to kiss her...

"Ten minutes till midnight folks, I suggest you start making your way outside to the decking area to get ready for the firework display." Crowe’s voice rang out over the mic, breaking the spell between them. Sidney shrank back slightly and clenched his jaw disappointedly. 

Charlotte smiled at him and shared a knowing glance.

“Come on.” She said leading him outside.


	6. New Year's resolutions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your lovely comments so far!

Clara, Esther and Georgie hurriedly made their way outside, eager to get a good view of the fireworks.

“We should take a selfie – last one of 2019!” Clara said.

Georgie drew out her phone to oblige, but paused, unable to resist opening a message that had popped up on her screen.

“We’re waiting Georgie!” Clara said impatiently.

Georgie smirked “Sorry!” she said, quickly setting up the phone to take the photo.

“God, you and Otis are sickening.”

“No we’re not, we’re just in love! Right, say ‘happy New Year’!”

“Happy New Year!” they all chanted.

They all crammed round the phone to check out the result. It wasn’t bad.

“So how come Otis isn’t here?” Esther asked.

“Oh, he’s been in Kenya with his family for Christmas. He gets back next week.” She explained.

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Clara smirked.

“Very true!” said Georgie unable to hide her lovesick smile.

Eagerly wanting to change the conversation, Esther asked: “So, has anyone made any New Year's resolutions?”

“Only the usual. Eat healthier, do more exercise, drink less.” Georgie started.

“God that’s boring…” Esther said with a smirk.

“Ok then, what’s yours?” Georgie said defensively

She thought for a minute and then said in a serious tone, “to try not to poison Tom Parker.”

The two friends suddenly looked a bit shocked.

“Oh come on, it was a joke.” Esther added, although she was enjoying their reactions.

“Is he really that irritating?” Clara asked.

“Yes. But I wouldn’t be able to do this project without him so I will have to tolerate it. He is the driving force behind it, and even though he is maddening and I wouldn’t admit it to his face, his dedication and enthusiasm is admirable.”

“Do my ears deceive me, or did Esther Denham just have a nice thing to say about someone?” Clara said teasingly.

“Hmm… Well it will be the last nice word of the year!”

“Haha – of course!”

“Oh, look whose coming our way…” Georgie observed. Clara and Esther looked in the direction she was facing.

“Babington.” Esther said, sounding less than impressed.

“and Harry…” Clara said.

Harry immediately engaged Clara in conversation, leaving Babington with Esther and Georgie.

“Ladies. I hope you’ve had a good evening.” Babington asked.

“It was tolerable I suppose.” Esther replied sounding bored.

Babington smiled. “Well, it certainly looked like you were having fun on the dancefloor.”

“Hmm… well I have to admit the band were rather good.”

“Esther, you are so droll. I for one have had a great night, thank you” Georgie cut in, fearing that Esther was being unnecessarily rude.

“I’ve got to go and do the countdown in a minute, but before I do, I wanted to get your number…” He said to Esther.

“Did you?”

“Yes… to… so that we can meet up and talk about your house project.” He sounded a bit nervous.

“… Ok.” She said looking at him as if she could see right through him.

They swapped numbers.

“I’ll be in touch then. Happy New Year!” he said as he left.

Crowe had left too and Clara turned back to them with a smile on her face. “Everyone OK?” she asked.

“Esther gave Babington her number…” Georgie revealed.

“Oh really?”

“It’s purely business.” Esther said, slightly annoyed.

“Whatever.” Georgie and Clara looked at each other a giggled.

“One minute till midnight folks.” Crowe shouted across the crowd.

************************** ****

Sidney was initially greatly disappointed by the interruption caused by Crowe's announcement, but when he reflected on it, perhaps it was a good thing that he hadn't kissed Charlotte then. Her confession to him earlier had really surprised him. Not just the fact that she hadn't been with a guy for a while, but also that she had let herself be vulnerable by sharing it with him. Sidney felt a sense of responsibility, a protectiveness towards her. He wanted to act respectively and not scare her away - to let her know that she was safe with him. But equally he was struggling to control the desire that being around her aroused in him. Just the lightest touch of their hands had sent shock waves all the way through his body. He couldn’t recall ever having felt the intensity of feelings he was experiencing, not even with Lizzie.

Charlotte was also feeling quite overwhelmed by the turn the evening had taken and was grateful for some fresh air. The last dance she’d had with Sidney was so intimate, so sensual. She had felt completely lost in him. She was sure he was about to kiss her and she would have let him. She knew it was completely irrational – she had only just met him, he was practically a stranger. She didn’t do things like this! Her relationship with James had grown out of friendship. They had known each other for months before pursuing a romantic relationship, and even then it had taken her weeks of weighing up whether it was what she wanted.

She had loved James, but not in a passionate way and after three years, their relationship had run its course and just fizzled out. It was a mutual parting, and they had remained friends. There had been other guys who had shown an interest since James, some of them even objectively good looking. But something was missing and Charlotte hadn’t even entertained the idea of anything happening with them. And now here was Sidney Parker. Intimidatingly handsome, clever, rich and powerful, yet tender, understanding and kind. Charlotte had never met anyone so confounding nor had she ever experienced the feelings he had evoked in her tonight. The way he looked at her, spoke to her, touched her felt like her body had awakened for the first time.

They followed the masses to make their way outside, Charlotte leading Sidney by the hand until they came to stop at the back of the crowd.

Charlotte turned to him, eager to break the tension between them.

"So... what are your New Year's resolutions?"

"I don't make New Year's resolutions. I can never keep them." He responded. Charlotte continued to look at him curiously as he continued "... but I'm considering making an exception this year."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah..."

"And… what is it then?"

He looked at her sincerely: "to stop dwelling on the past and embrace today."

"Sounds very... profound!" She said playfully and they both smiled.

"How about you?"

"Hmm..." Charlotte thought for a moment. "I'm not sure."

"I've got one for you." It had come to Sidney so suddenly.

"You have?" She was intrigued, yet slightly nervous to know what he was going to say.

"To stop doubting yourself and accept that you are more than equal to anyone here."

She smiled shyly and Sidney squeezed her hand as an encouragement.

They stood in silence for a couple of minutes as the crowd anticipated the countdown to the start of a New Year. Several latecomers were trying to squeeze their way out onto the decking, so Charlotte and Sidney were being pushed closer to each other. Charlotte was beginning to feel a bit uneasy. Despite living in London, she had still not got used to the crowds (she avoided the tube whenever she could). She pulled Sidney so that they were at the back of the crowd again and she had a bit more room to breathe.

"Sorry, I'm slightly claustrophobic - I don't like crowds. We should still be able to see the fireworks from here."

He smiled softly at her.

"I don't care about the fireworks."

"You don’t?"

"No. I just want to be here with you." He'd said it without really thinking. He blushed slightly when he had realised what he had said, but kept his gaze on her. The tension between them heightened again, neither one of them able to look away from the other.

"10, 9, 8, 7..." the ten second countdown had begun.

"6, 5, 4.." 

Sidney stepped closer to Charlotte, unable to resist the desire to kiss her any longer. He placed his free hand on her waist and pulled her closer to him which made her gasp. His gaze shifted from her eyes to her lips as he leaned towards her.

"3, 2, 1..." 

All the noise of the crowd seemed to fade away as Sidney's lips tenderly met Charlotte's. She seemed a bit unsure at first, but then, as he stroked his tongue gently over her bottom lip, she started responding to him. Her hands came up to caress his face and then she ran her fingers through his hair, pressing herself into him. His hands travelled up her back and into her hair and she opened up her mouth, permitting him to deepen the kiss.

There was a loud bang from one of the fireworks, which startled them and they broke apart, breathing heavily. The firework display was still in full swing, but neither of them were watching. Sidney rested his forehead against Charlotte’s as he attempted to control himself, his heart beating fast and loud against his chest. There was a question he desperately wanted to ask her. He knew it would sound forward and he was worried about her reaction, but his emotions and desire compelled him to ask it:

"Wanna get out of here?"

He waited, closed his eyes and held his breath, expecting disappointment.

“Yes.” She said breathlessly.


	7. A Penthouse Apartment

Charlotte had never experienced a kiss like it. All she could think about when Sidney was kissing her was that she couldn’t get close enough to him. She wanted more of him and she wanted to give more of herself to him. It was a good thing the firework went off when it did as she had well and truly lost control of herself. She was still feeling slightly dizzy (perhaps also due to the effects of all the wine) when Sidney had asked the question, and at first she wasn’t sure she had heard him right. But she was in no doubt as to what she wanted right now – and that was him.

Sidney and Charlotte made their way back into the bar to collect Charlotte’s coat and bag from the cloakroom. As they were doing so, Charlotte was sure to ping a short text to the girls to let them know she had left without them. She grinned as she did so. This was so uncharacteristic of her. She was looking forward to their reactions!

They walked out the back entrance of the bar hand in hand again.

“We’ll grab a taxi from the rank on the next street.” He said, leading the way.

“Hang on a minute.” Charlotte stopped.

 _Oh f*** she’s changed her mind_ Sidney thought.

Charlotte proceeded to take out a pair of pumps from her bag and began to swap her shoes.

“You packed a spare pair of shoes?” Sidney said, clearly amused.

“Yes – I like to plan for every eventuality and I did tell you I could barely walk in these…” She said grinning at him. “Although, I have to say that I was completely unprepared for tonight’s events.”

Sidney smiled at her. “Me too.” He said.

“That’s better.” She sighed as she relaxed into her pumps and smiled at him. He was staring at her as though transfixed. He noticed she had a little dimple when she smiled which was simply adorable. “Shall we go?” She said, breaking him out of his musings.

“Yeah – this way.” He grabbed her hand again and led her to the taxi rank.

The firework display was just reaching its finale when they arrived, so that there was no one waiting and they got a cab easily.

“Where to?” The driver asked.

“Knightsbridge please.” Sidney replied.

Charlotte turned to him. “You live in Knightsbridge”? 

Sidney nodded.

“Let me guess, you have a penthouse apartment overlooking Hyde Park?”

Sidney smiled at her. “Not overlooking Hyde Park, no.”

“God! What sort of job do you have?”

“I’m technical director of one of the tech firms at Level39 in Canary Wharf.”

Charlotte’s eyes widened slightly. “So how did you end up there?”

“I got on a graduate scheme when the firm was in it’s infancy. From there on I just made my way up.”

“Just like that?” Charlotte said incredulously.

“Yes…” Sidney looked at her curiously.

“Sorry. That was shitty of me. I mean, it’s rare that I’ve met someone in a position like yours who got there simply on their own merits rather than because of the people they know. I guess I’ve got a bit of a bee in my bonnet about it.”

“I get it. It’s one of the things about London society which I hate. I’ve got the reverse problem now. I’m constantly being hounded by people wanting me to introduce them to so-and-so, or kissing my arse because they want a job. It’s exhausting.”

“With great power comes great responsibility” Charlotte added teasingly.

Sidney chuckled. “True – but I’m no Spiderman.”

Charlotte smiled. Sidney reached for her hand again and began stroking it with his thumb which gave her butterflies. She hoped it wasn’t that much farther to his flat. The thought made her suddenly feel really nervous… and a bit awkward, which was only to be expected given that she hadn’t done this before.

A text pinged on Charlotte’s phone, it was from Clara.

 _OMG! Charlotte Heywood you hussy! Be safe._ _😉 xx_

If possible, the text made her feel even more nervous.

“Can I ask you something?” Charlotte asked hesitantly.

Sidney nodded.

“Have you… I mean… do you take a lot of girls back to your apartment…?”

Sidney looked at her. He wanted to be truthful to her about his previous sexual encounters, but at the same time, he wanted her to know that this wasn’t the same. He paused for a minute.

“Yes… and no…”

“What do you mean?” Charlotte asked.

“I’ve had a fair number one night stands and weekly flings, particularly around the time Lizzie and I broke up and also the odd time since… But I’ve never brought a girl back to my apartment.”

Charlotte frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“I always went back to their apartments.” He paused, contemplating how to communicate this right. “I guess the thought of letting them into my apartment felt too… personal.”

“So why are you bringing me back to your apartment?” Charlotte asked timidly.

“Because with you it feels different.” Sidney looked at her intently and her stomach flipped. “But I’m trying not to over think it…”

They both giggled.

They arrived twenty minutes later at Sidney’s apartment block. It was a very modern building, probably only five or so years old. A concierge greeted them at the entrance.

“Happy New Year Mr Parker.” He said cheerfully, his eyes darting between them as if he’d never seen Sidney arrive with anyone else before.

“And to you Howard. You picked the short straw for tonight’s shift then?”

“It’s not all that bad Sir. Been pretty quiet in truth as everyone is out.” He took another glance at Charlotte and she was sure he winked at her which made her blush.

Sidney smiled. “Well, I trust it remains that way. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight sir.”

Sidney led her to the elevator and hit the button for the top floor. Charlotte was initially surprised when they entered the apartment. She had expected the décor to be modern and sparse, but instead it was, there was no other word for it, ‘homely’. The door to the apartment opened into a large open plan ‘L shaped’ living area, with a modern style kitchenette leading to a dining area on the one side and lounge area on the other. The floor was made from real wood and a glass wall ran from one side of the lounge area to the other. The seats had been carefully arranged so as to enable their occupants to take in the whole view. Charlotte took off her coat and shoes, eager to look out the windows, but stopped suddenly.

“Is this underfloor heating?” She turned to him grinning.

Sidney nodded sheepishly. He was slightly anxious to know what her opinion was of his home. He watched her as she continued to make her way over to the glass wall. Out of the windows Charlotte could see thousands of little lights and the odd firework going off. She thought that the view in the day time must be equally as stunning. She walked slowly round the lounge area, stroking her hands over the fabric of the sofas, glancing at Sidney as she did so. Sidney was completely mesmerised by her. Behind the sofa on the adjacent wall was a large bookcase which was crammed full of books. As a big reader herself, she was curious as to what was in Sidney’s book collection.

“Kant, Marx, Hume, Plato, Heraclitus… These are all philosophers… Is this what you studied for your degree?”

“Yeah, along with Computer Science.” He said, still studying her.

“Interesting combination.” She paused, then continued. “ _A propensity to hope and joy is real riches; one to fear and sorrow real poverty.”_

Sidney smiled. “You know Hume.” He was impressed.

“I did a philosophy module for my degree. It was a welcome break from all the heavy law.”

“Can I get you a drink of anything?” He asked.

“Some water would be great.”

He went over the kitchenette to pour her a glass as she continued to make her way around the room. A series of photographs sat on a large sideboard. Charlotte could recognise Sidney in some of the photos at various different ages. Sidney came up close behind her and she turned round to accept the drink.

“Who are these people?” She asked curiously, pointing to a big family photograph. Sidney proceeded to name them all.

“That’s my brother Tom and my sister-in-law, Mary with my nieces and nephews. And this is Arthur and Diana, my brother and sister.”

“Do they all live in Sanditon?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re the black sheep of the family then… I mean, cos you live in London.”

“Something like that, but I do visit Sanditon often.”

“Esther’s been nagging me for ages to visit her, but what with work and everything, I’ve not got round to it yet.”

“Well, maybe we can visit together?” Then, realising the potential meaning behind what he said added… “I mean… um..” He ran his hands through the back of his hair.

“… Maybe.” Charlotte responded, smiling.

He looked at her and they both felt the atmosphere shift around them.

“Per.. perhaps you’d like to show me the rest of your flat?” Charlotte stuttered, her nerves getting the better of her.

“We don’t have to do anything you know…” Sidney said softly.

“I know.” She barely whispered.

She put down her drink of water on the sideboard and took a step closer towards him. Tentatively she let her fingers brush over his hands and make their way slowly up his arms. She could feel the muscles in his arms under his shirt – he clearly worked out, and she was suddenly hit with a surge of desire which made her tremble. Her hands reached his shoulders and then went along his collarbones and down to his chest where she paused.

She looked up at him, his eyes were reflecting the same desire as she herself was experiencing. His hands moved to her hips as he pulled her closer to him so that their hips were touching. Slowly, and carefully, she began unbuttoning his shirt, pulling it off his arms to reveal a well-defined torso and abs. She brushed her hands across his chest which had a smattering of thin wisps of hair, down to his abs and past his belly button where the hair started to get thicker. Sidney squeezed her hips slightly as he enjoyed the sensation and then his hands moved up to grab her sweater. He pulled it over her head in one fluid movement so that she was left standing in just her bra.

He reached both his hands to her face and drew her to him suddenly, his mouth colliding with hers, his tongue sliding into her mouth… and Charlotte was lost. Sidney’s hands slid down from Charlotte’s face to her back to press her closer to him, and then down her sides where he grazed her breasts, causing her to gasp and break the kiss temporarily. As Charlotte was trying to catch her breath, Sidney scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom.


	8. The morning after

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we left Chapter 7 on a bit of a cliff hanger. I have decided to leave what happened in the bedroom to your imaginations as there are much better writers of that kind of thing on here than me. If anyone feels so inclined to fill in the gaps, you have my permission to do so!
> 
> Now New Year is over, the scene has been set and introductions with the key characters have been made, the story is about to go in a new and surprising direction... Enjoy!

When Sidney woke up the next morning, he took a while to open his eyes, fearing that the night before had all been just a dream. But as he became more conscious of his surroundings he realised that he had fallen asleep holding someone’s hand. He opened his eyes and lifted up his head, and sure enough, lying peacefully asleep next to him was Charlotte, her hair in a tangle and half of it obscuring her face. He shifted himself into a different position to be able to look at her better and ever so gently brushed the hair out of her face.

Still afraid that this was all just a dream, he took his time to commit her image to memory. As he was watching her, memories of their rendezvous last night came flooding back to him. The feel of her hands on his arms and his chest, the taste of her tongue stroking his, the way she had gasped when he had first touched her breasts and then everything that followed… Yes, he’d had great sex before – and last night was certainly great sex. But this was the first time for a long time that he’d woken up and not felt like he wanted to escape as soon as possible. He knew he was a dick for thinking it, but all the other women had really been a means to an end, to satisfy a physical need, a point that he had always been upfront to them about. But Charlotte was so different from that, so monumentally different and it both made him deliriously happy and absolutely terrified at the same time.

Charlotte began to stir next to him. She opened her eyes slowly, a little confused as to where she was. Her eyes met Sidney’s and she smiled shyly.

“Hi.” Sidney said softly.

“Hi.” She replied in a sleepy and timid voice, her cheeks slightly flushed as she realised that she was naked in Sidney’s bed. She bit her lip slightly as she started to remember all that had happened, a subtle action, but one that Sidney found incredibly seductive. If he wasn't aroused before, he certainly was now!

She moved to lie on her back, nestling into the bed and stretching. 

“This bed is divine! I can’t remember the last time I slept so well. Although perhaps that may be due to all the exercise last night.” She said teasingly, breaking the slight awkwardness between them.

Sidney chuckled slightly, but he was struggling to control himself again as the position she had just taken reminded him of a particular moment from last night. Charlotte caught him looking at her. He shook his head smiling.

“What?” She asked innocently.

“You really don’t know how irresistible you are do you?”

“Well if I’m irresistible, what are you doing over there?” She said seductively, rolling over and pulling him towards her.

**************

They emerged from the bedroom an hour later, Charlotte dressed in one of Sidney’s shirts. If it wasn’t for the need for food, they would have happily spent all day in bed. But it was approaching midday and both of them were pretty famished. Sidney put the kettle on and started making some bacon sandwiches.

“Tea or coffee?” He asked.

“Tea please.”

“Really? I had you for more of a coffee drinker.”

“I drink both, but prefer tea in the morning.”

Sidney looked at her playfully.

“You’re one of those people that has set times of day for tea and coffee aren’t you…”

“Maybe…” She said sheepishly. “I formed the habit when I was a PA. My boss was very particular and it seems to have rubbed off on me.”

“And are you a ketchup or brown sauce person?”

“Ketchup of course. Oh, but no butter…”

“But butter is the best bit…”

Charlotte screwed up her nose and shook her head at him making him laugh.

Sidney rustled up breakfast in no time and they sat down opposite each other at the dining table to eat.

“Thank you for this.” Charlotte said, tucking in.

Sidney gazed at her. Just sitting here having breakfast with her felt like the most normal and natural thing in the world. He wanted to let her know what last night meant to him - he didn’t want this to be a one time thing. He believed Charlotte felt the same, but the damaged part of him still feared rejection and so he had some doubts. He managed to rustle up an ounce of courage to try and say how he felt.

“You were… last night was… incredible… and I don’t just mean all the sex!” She was looking at him intently.

He continued: “Probably one of the best nights of my life.”

Her eyes widened in disbelief.

“I guess, what I’m trying to say is...”

Charlotte’s phone rang breaking the moment.

 _Can I see you again?_ Sidney said in his head.

“Shit! Sorry – it’s my Mum. I really ought to take this. She’ll worry if I don’t pick up.”

“Of course, no worries.”

Charlotte hastily left the table to answer the phone in the lounge taking her mug of tea with her and giving Sidney an apologetic look.

He picked up the dirty plates and began to load them into the dishwasher.

All of a sudden there was a shout followed by a loud crash in the lounge. Sidney raced over and saw Charlotte standing in the middle of the floor, phone in hand and her mug of tea smashed into tiny pieces on the wooden floor. She was unable to move as she had bare feet.

“Oh God, I’m so sorry…” She said, visibly upset.

“Just don’t move a minute while I put some shoes on.”

He grabbed his shoes and when they were safely on his feet, hurried over to Charlotte and lifted her away from the debris, sitting her down on the sofa. He knelt down on the floor next to her, holding her hand tenderly.

“Are you hurt?” she shook her head, but then immediately burst into tears.

“It’s OK, don’t worry, it’s only a mug.”

She continued to cry and then started shaking uncontrollably. Sidney finally caught on that this was not about a broken mug. He grabbed a blanket and threw it round her, worried that she was going to go into shock.

“Charlotte. What’s the matter? Has something happened?” He asked gently.

She nodded at him, but was still unable to speak as she was so distressed. He continued to kneel down next to, stroking her hand, feeling completely helpless. Eventually, after what felt like an age, she finally calmed down enough to speak.

“It’s my sister, Alison. She… she…. she’s been involved in a car accident.” She took a breath. “The doctors say she has a serious brain injury.” She started crying again, then she stood up abruptly. “I’ve got to get home…”

Sidney rose with her. “Of course, but you’re still in shock.” He paused for a minute, not really sure what to do. “Look - how about you have a shower and get dressed while I ring Esther to let her know what’s going on. Then we can make a plan for getting you home?”

Charlotte nodded, letting Sidney take charge as she was still processing what was happening.

“Ok. Thanks.” Sidney led her to the bathroom and fetched her a towel and then went to make the call to Esther. He had to use Charlotte’s phone as he didn’t have her number.

*************

Esther, Clara and Georgie were enjoying pancakes at the flat when Esther’s phone rang.

“It’s Charlotte!” She said and they all giggled.

 _“Charlotte you saucy minx, when are you coming home?”_ She said crudely.

_“It’s Sidney actually...”_

_“Oh Sidney… What are you doing on Charlotte’s phone? Is she OK?”_ The friends exchanged concerned looks.

_“No – that’s why I’m calling. Her sister’s been in a car crash. It’s not good.”_

“F***!”

“What’s happened?” Georgie asked.

“Her sister’s been in a car crash.”

“Shit!” Clara said.

_“Hang on Sidney – I’ll just put you on speaker.”_

Sidney continued. _“Charlotte’s in shock. We need to hatch a plan to get her back to Willingden.”_

The friends looked at one another.

“You’ve got a train back to Sanditon today Esther, so why don’t I take her in my car? It’s still the Christmas holidays so I don’t have to be back in work for a couple of days.”Clara said.

“God, I feel awful having to go back today, but I don’t really have a choice.” Esther said. “I think you taking her would be the best option Clara.”

Georgie added. “And I’ll let work know what’s happened tomorrow when the office reopens so Charlotte doesn’t have to worry about calling in.”

_“OK I’ll drive Charlotte back to her flat to pick up her things. Are you there already?”_

“Yes – we share a flat.” Clara added.

_“Great - could you pack her a bag?”_

“Sure.”

_“OK, I’ll hopefully be with you in about an hour”._

“Thanks Sidney. We’ll see you in a bit.”


	9. A sudden realisation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your lovely comments to the previous chapter. I'm on a roll - so here's another!

Charlotte was in a daze. She was unable to recall exactly what had happened in the last few hours since she had received that terrible phone call. She vaguely remembered Sidney dropping her off at the flat and then getting into the car with Clara, but the details were hazy. She’d barely said a word during the journey. Clara had realised after a couple of attempts to engage her in conversation that she was not up to it, so had stuck the radio on instead. Charlotte was looking out the window, the familiar sights of the Wiltshire countryside now coming into view. Now that she was closer to home she was beginning to come back to reality, the initial shock fading. She no longer felt like she needed to cry and she resolved that she was going to try and be strong for her family.

Alison was currently being kept in an induced coma at Salisbury Hospital and so it was to there they were headed. It was a good two hour journey, but as it was New Year’s day, the roads were fairly quiet. When they arrived at the hospital, Clara went to the hospital café to give the Heywoods some space and privacy. Charlotte’s mum brought her up to speed on what had happened. Alison and her boyfriend Mark had been travelling home from a New Year’s party when Mark had lost control of the car as he turned a corner on a narrow country lane. The car had flipped eventually landing in ditch at the side of the road. Alison had received a blunt trauma to the back of her head, resulting in a bleed to the brain, which the doctors were currently monitoring. However, the hospital did not have a specialist neurology department, so plans were afoot to transfer Alison to another hospital. They were expecting to hear more shortly. Miraculously, Mark’s only major injuries were a broken collarbone and a mild concussion, but they were going to keep him in overnight for observation.

Charlotte was allowed to go and see Alison, who was lying on a bed in the emergency room, hocked up to a number of machines. It didn’t really look like her at all. She spent a good twenty minutes sat by her side holding her hand in silence, thinking about all the things she wanted to talk to her about, particularly those involving a certain gentleman, but too overcome by her emotions to speak out loud. The doctors came in, closely followed by her mum and dad, to update them all on Alison's condition.

“We’ve managed to find Alison a bed in the neurology department in Lewes Hospital.”

“Lewes! But that’s miles away.” Mrs Heywood said anxiously.

“Yes, but it’s the best option at the moment. Your daughter needs specialist care and we cannot offer it to her here. Lewes Hospital has one of the best neurology departments in the country. Sending her there will give her the best possible chance of recovery.” The doctor said honestly and continued. “We’ve arranged for her to be transferred by helicopter in the next half an hour.”

The doctor left them to talk things through.

“Lewes Hospital… I’m sure that’s the place where Esther took her aunt for her cancer treatment. It must be near Sanditon. How about I give her a call and see if we can find somewhere to stay?” Charlotte said thoughtfully. As neither Mr or Mrs Heywood had any connections in that part of the country, it seemed like the best option.

Several phone calls later and everything had been arranged for Charlotte and her mum to stay in Sanditon, but after such a long and traumatic day, it was decided that they would make their way there tomorrow. Clara was going to stay the night in Willingden before travelling back to London in the morning. As no-one had the energy to cook anything, a take-out was ordered for dinner. Shortly afterwards the friends retired to Charlotte’s old room, which Clara was to share for the night.

Charlotte turned to her friend. “Clara – thank you so much for driving me here, and just being here. You’re such a great friend.”

“Of course, but it was Sidney that sorted everything out really.”

“Sidney? Really?” Charlotte said a bit confused.

Clara nodded, closely observing her.

“I know that this isn’t the most appropriate time to bring it up, but when you are ready to talk about what happened between you two last night, I will be all ears.” Clara smiled at her encouragingly.

Charlotte didn’t answer, so Clara continued. “For what it’s worth, he seemed very concerned about you. I know you’ve only just met, but it’s clear he cares about you.”

Charlotte looked unsure. “Oh Clara, I don’t know. I can’t even think straight right now. It’s all too overwhelming. I think I just need to focus on Alison right now. She needs me. My family needs me.”

“OK, well let’s not think about it anymore tonight. You must be exhausted – I know I am. Let’s get some sleep.”

“OK – thanks Clara. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

**************

Sidney’s phone pinged indicating receipt of yet another message. He didn’t think it had stopped chirping all day. He’d normally just put it on silent, but he couldn’t afford to miss any of the messages or calls he’d received today. This time the message was from Esther.

_Thanks for sorting out the flat for Char and her mum. Plan is for them to travel to Sanditon tomorrow._

Sidney sighed, relieved that it had all been worked out. He was emotionally exhausted from the events of the last 24 hours. Esther had kept him updated throughout the day about what was happening with Charlotte’s sister. Once he had found out that Alison was being transferred to Lewes Hospital, he had sorted out their accommodation in Sanditon which was to be one of the Parker’s holiday lets. He wished he could do more, but he felt pretty powerless.

Sidney had hated leaving Charlotte. He had stayed with her at her flat until she’d driven off in the car with Clara, but he’d felt really restless ever since. It felt like fate was against him, like all he’d ever wanted was in his grasp, but only for that to be snatched away from him by events outside his control. He’d meant it when he’d told her that it was probably one of the best nights of his life, but he hadn’t got the chance to fully explain to her what he meant. He didn’t want Charlotte to think he was just referring to the sex, because it had been so much more than that.

He hoped that this was only a temporary setback, which was an awful thing to think in the circumstances and made him feel guilty. He’d wrestled with whether to text Charlotte or not and had refrained from doing so for now. All he wanted was for her to know he was thinking of her, but they had only just met and as he hadn't finished what he wanted to say, things felt a bit unresolved between them. He’d started drafting several texts, but none of them felt right. So he’d decided to wait for now – and Sidney was no good at waiting.

Sidney had also received a number of other messages from Babington and Crowe, which he had ignored thus far to the extent that Crowe had accused him of ghosting them. They were eager to know what had happened with him and Charlotte last night but he wasn’t inclined to give them the details right now. He put his phone down, helped himself to a beer from the fridge and put on the TV hoping to watch something that could distract him from all his thoughts. But somehow every TV programme brought his thoughts back to Charlotte. Even when he finally went to bed he couldn’t escape her as he kept looking at the other side of the bed imagining she was there.

He tossed and turned for a while in bed, unable to settle. Then he suddenly sat up in bed and cursed out loud having come to a sudden realisation which had hit him like a forceful gale.

 _No_ , he thought, _surely that’s impossible_.

But the more he processed it, the clearer it became that in fact this was exactly what was happening to him. It was illogical and downright absurd, but absolutely impossible to deny… He’d only gone and fallen in love with her!


	10. Babington's plan

Charlotte and her mum left fairly early the next day. They had received a couple of phone calls from the hospital, one letting them know when Alison arrived, and also one in the morning to confirm she was still critical, but in a stable condition, but now they were really eager to see her. It was decided that it was best for Charlotte's dad to stay in Willingden for now with the rest of the Heywood clan as it made little sense for both parents to be away. Charlotte’s older brother, Grant and his wife were to pop in on them every day to see how they were doing (and also to help with the cooking and general housekeeping as Mrs Heywood did not trust Mr Heywood to keep on top of it).

Neither mother nor daughter were inclined to talk much during the journey as they were too focussed on their mission. As they were driving, Charlotte had a lot of time to think and she found her thoughts wondering to New Year’s eve… and Sidney which instantly made her fell guilty. How could she be thinking about a guy she had just met when her sister was critically ill in hospital? Nothing about her chance encounter with Sidney Parker made much sense to her. Everything that had happened between them was so out of character for her… and she wondered whether perhaps it was just the effects of the alcohol that had laid waste to her inhibitions that night.

Still, she couldn’t deny that she’d had a wonderful time with him and she certainly didn’t regret what happened, but there was something so… confusing about it all. Yes, that was it, she was confused. She found him completely confounding, or maybe not so much him, but the whole situation. Urgh! She was going round in circles again... No, she must put him from her mind or else she was going to go mad, and Alison needed her to be sane right now.

**********

Sidney had finally responded to the barrage of WhatsApp messages sent to him by Babington and Crowe and had agreed to meet them for lunch the next day at his favourite sandwich bar. He spent the morning in his office catching up on emails (why people were emailing him on a public holiday he did not know) and then at one o’clock meandered down to meet them.

Babington and Crowe were in fine spirits when they arrived, their New Year’s event having been a tremendous success (so much so that they treated Sidney to lunch – not that he couldn’t afford it).

“Parker!” Crowe called.

“Crowe, Babbers.”

“Nice of you to finally get in touch.” Babington said with a smirk on his face.

“Hmmm.”

They bought some sandwiches and sat at a table.

“So…?” Crowe began looking at Sidney, but he wasn’t looking at him. Crowe exchanged a knowing look with Babington then continued. “Did you enjoy your first New Year’s eve out in, like forever?”

“Yeah – it was good, band were decent.”

“That’s not what Crowe meant.” Babington interjected.

“I know what Crowe meant.”

“And…?”

“Crowe can f*** Off.”

“Ha! Charming!”

“Come on Sid – we saw you dancing with that girl, what was her name again?” Crowe asked.

“Charlotte” Sidney replied rather too quickly.

“Yes, Charlotte…” Crowe said grinning. “She seemed to have a bit of spunk about her. Certainly put you in your place at the pool table.”

“Why don’t you just get to the point Crowe.”

“We were just curious about what happened with her that is all. We didn’t see either of you leave the bar.”

Sidney looked at them both, reluctant to give much away, but they were his friends after all. He sighed heavily accepting defeat.

“I took Charlotte back to my place.”

“I knew it!” Crowe almost shouted… “Sorry…”

“But you're not getting any more details than that. A gentleman never tells.”

“Sidney Parker – a gentleman?” Babington grinned. “So are you going to see her again?”

Sidney was wondering how to answer that question. “It’s complicated.”

“How so?”

“She got some bad news yesterday. Her sister was in a car crash.”

“F***!”

“Yeah it’s not good, bad head injury. They’ve transferred her to Lewes Hospital.”

“Lewes? But that’s near…”

“Sanditon – I know. Charlotte and her mum are going to stay in one of my brother’s holiday lets while her sister’s there.”

They were silent for a while, not really sure what to say in this situation, until Babington asked.

“Sid – I know you say it’s complicated, and feel free to tell me to shut up, but… I saw the way you were with her on the dance floor. I don’t think I’ve seen you smile like that for… well, a long time.”

Sidney looked at him. Was he really that obvious? He’d spent years trying to hide his true emotions from anyone.

Sidney sighed. “You’re right... I… I can’t stop thinking about her.” And despite himself, he smiled.

“Oh God man, you’ve got it bad!” Crowe exclaimed.

Sidney shook his head. “But now I have no idea what to do. I tried to tell her I wanted to see her again, but then she got that bloody phone call and … Oh God, I’m so f***ing out of my depth.”

“Go to Sanditon.” Babington said without hesitation.

“What?”

“Go to Sanditon and see her.” Sidney looked at him like he was an idiot. “Look you don’t even need an excuse, you have family there – isn’t Tom always hounding you to visit? Well why not go now and then you get to see her too? In fact… why don’t we both go?”

“You want to go to Sanditon…” Crowe said.

“There may be a certain person I want to see.”

“Oh God, not that Denham creature!” Crowe rolled his eyes and Sidney chuckled.

“She is deliciously disdainful and she agreed to meet with me.”

“To talk business.” Sidney reminded him.

“True… But sometimes it’s good to mix business with a bit of pleasure. Wanna come too Crowe?”

“F*** no!”

“Suit yourself. I’ll phone Esther now and see if I can arrange a meeting for the weekend.” Babington said, winking at them and hurrying off to make the call.

***********

_“Hello?”_

_“Esther – it’s George… Babington.”_

_“Babington. Didn’t take long for you to get in touch.”_

_“No… well… I was just phoning on the off chance you were around to have a chat about your project this weekend?”_

_“This weekend?”_

_“Yes. Well Sidney’s planning on coming to Sanditon to see Tom anyway, so I thought I might as well take the opportunity to see… to meet with you to…. to… to talk business.”_

_“Oh you did, did you? Well, you’re in luck as I do have some free time on Saturday afternoon. We could meet at the house and I can show you what we have been doing.”_

_“Perfect. I look forward to it.”_

***********

“Right – it’s all sorted. I’m seeing Esther on Saturday afternoon. I’ve told her you’re coming down.”

“What?” Sidney snapped

“Sometimes you just need a nudge Sid…! You better let Tom know you’re coming. Oh – and any chance of getting a room at Northanger Hotel?”

“F*** Babington you really are a dick sometimes.”

“You’ll thank me later.” He replied grinning.

**************

Alison was on a high dependency ward at the hospital and being there with her was quite overwhelming. She seem to be connected to half a dozen machines which were monitoring various outputs. Every so often a machine would beep which would make both Charlotte and her mum jump, fearing the worse. The bleed on Alison’s brain had at least not grown in size since her admittance to Lewes Hospital, but neither had it shrunk and therefore she needed constant monitoring. If the bleed were to increase, then she would need to have an operation, but for now, she was stable. The hope was that the bleed would start to shrink over the next few days.

However, even if it did shrink there was the still a big question in the air as to whether there would be any long lasting effects. It was impossible to say what these may be until Alison woke up, but Charlotte couldn’t help thinking the worse. Alison was not out of danger yet. She needed to be kept in a coma for the time being – and probably for a fair few days so it seemed they Heywoods’s stay in Sanditon would be for some duration.

Charlotte had received some messages from her friends. Clara had text to say when she was home and Georgie had let her know she had sorted out work for her. It was a relief to know that she didn’t have to deal with that. She would have to phone work eventually to sort out the full extent of her compassionate leave, but they’d given her a week off for the time being.

Once they had stayed with Alison for a few hours, they left the hospital and made their way to Sanditon. As it was dark when they left, Charlotte’s first sights of Sanditon were limited to the lights coming from the houses and she was unable to see the prominent sea views. They did, however, get a good view of Northanger Hotel as it was beautifully lit up by solar lights. You could tell at once that it was a luxurious hotel, just by the types of cars that were parked there! The Heywood’s Skoda 4x4 would be very much out of place!

Arrangements had been made for them to pick up a key from the owner of the flat who lived across the road. They knocked on the door and were greeted by a lady with a kind face.

“Hi I'm Jane Heywood. I've come to collect the key to our flat?”

“Oh yes, Mrs Heywood. I’m Mary. Welcome to Sanditon. And you must be Charlotte” She said looking at them both. “Let me show you into your accommodation.”

Charlotte and her mum followed Mary across the street to a three storey townhouse. They entered the main entrance and then traipsed up two flights of steps to the top flat and on opening the door entered into a cosy lounge area which was decorated tastefully. It was all rather quaint.

“These doors lead to two en suite bedrooms.” She said pointing to the doors coming off the side of lounge “and through here is the kitchen diner.” She said leading the way to a country style kitchen with a small round dining table with four chairs.

“We’ve stocked up the cupboards and the fridge with some basics for you. Oh yes, and Esther dropped off a lasagne which is in the fridge. She thought you might not be up for cooking after your long day.”

“Oh that’s so kind.” Charlotte’s mum said on the verge of tears.

Mary continued. “The thermostat for the heating is here and if you need any extra towels, linen or blankets, you can find what you need in this cupboard. You've seen where we live, so if you need anything, please just knock on the door. Or if we’re not in – my number is in the welcome pack.”

“Thank you Mary.” Mrs Heywood replied, suddenly feeling exhausted.

“We were all so sorry to hear about your daughter Mrs Heywood.”

“Jane, please… and thank you.” There was a slight awkward pause. Charlotte’s mum continued: “When would you like us to settle the bill”.

“Oh, don’t worry about that, it’s all been sorted.”

“What do you mean?” Charlotte asked

Mary smiled at her. “Sidney took care of it.”

“Sidney?” Jane asked.

Charlotte was speechless for a minute.

“My brother-in-law. He said he was a friend of yours Charlotte?” Mary said slightly confused.

“Yes… yes… that’s right.” She managed to stutter.

“Well, I don’t know what to say. You must pass on our thanks to him.” Charlotte's mum said.

“Oh you can thank him yourself, he’s coming to visit at the weekend.”

Charlotte stood dumbfounded.

“Right, I will let you settle in, and if you need anything, please do just ask.”

“Thank you Mary.”


	11. A dinner invitation

Mary walked back to Trafalgar House pondering the exchange she'd had with Charlotte and her mum, Jane. At the time Sidney had asked her to sort out the flat, she'd not thought much of it because he regularly asked them to arrange rooms at the hotel for his business associates. But actually, thinking about it, this time his request had been rather different. He'd been really specific about what needed to be done. Charlotte and her mum had to have their best holiday flat which boasted spectacular sea views and newly renovated en suite bathrooms. He'd told her to stock up the food cupboards too and said that he would pay the bill.

At the time, Mary just thought Sidney was doing something nice for a friend, particularly when he told her of Alison’s accident - and she could well believe it of him as he had a big heart. But Charlotte's reaction when she asked if he was a friend of hers, combined with her surprise when she said he was visiting at the weekend made Mary suspect there was something more between them. The thought that Sidney may have formed an attachment to someone made her heart soar. He had cauterised his heart for too long following his break up with Lizzie and she longed for him to be happy and settled. She was eager to know more about the girl who may be the key to Sidney's future happiness. Mary therefore resolved to invite Charlotte and her mum to dinner at the weekend when Sidney and his friend George were visiting. Perhaps Esther could come too. Then she could observe them together to see if her suspicions were correct... and perhaps give love a helping hand.

**********

_S_ _idney’s taken care of it_ …

Charlotte was still processing Mary’s words over and over in her head when she went to bed that night. Clara had already told her Sidney had arranged everything, but at the time she hadn’t fully comprehended what this meant. Why would someone she just met offer to foot the bill for their stay? Perhaps he felt guilty because of her breakdown at his flat when receiving the news? Maybe he was just a really kind person? Or maybe, and this made her heart beat faster, maybe it was because she meant something to him?

Hadn’t Sidney said that he liked her? That he’d never taken a girl back to his apartment before because it was different with her? Of course he could have just said that to get her into bed with him, but his look had been sincere. And hadn’t the concierge seemed surprised that Sidney had brought someone back to his flat? Or maybe she had imagined it all. All of the activities of the evening were a bit blurry – she had had a lot of wine to drink. But what about in the morning, when they were both sober – hadn’t he said it was probably the best night of his life – and he said he wasn’t just referring to the sex… and hadn’t he wanted to say more before the phone call interrupted him?

_He said he was a friend of yours?_

Friend? Was he a friend? In some ways they’d gone way past the friendship line and in others not. She didn’t really know much about him nor him about her. What did you call someone in this situation? An acquaintance? Perhaps friends was the best way to describe it for now. Or maybe he’d called her his friend because that’s all he wanted – for her to be his friend? Did she just want him to be her friend too? She didn’t really know what she wanted. Everything had happened so quickly, so unexpectedly, and that combined with Alison’s accident meant she was feeling completely overwhelmed.

 _He’s coming to visit at the weekend_.

The thought of seeing him again was both gladdening and terrifying. How was one supposed to act around someone who was or was not a friend, or acquaintance or whatever, but who you have had sex with? God knows! She sighed. The situation was pretty unprecedented, the rules of social interaction so unknown to her. Should she, for instance, text him to say thanks for sorting out the flat? Did she even have his number? She couldn’t recall him giving it to her. She quickly checked her phone, and sure enough there in her contacts was Sidney’s number. Did that mean he also had hers? But if he had hers, why hadn’t he texted her at all? If she was honest, the fact that he hadn’t stung a little. She should take Sidney’s advice and try not to think too much about it… but it was all she could think about…

Deciding now was not the time to try composing texts, Charlotte put her phone down and tried to sleep.

********

Charlotte woke up early and restless the next day. She got up and went to make herself a cup of tea. The sun was starting to rise so she went to open the curtains and when she did, saw that they had an amazing view of the sea from a pair of French doors with a Juliet balcony. Whilst the kettle boiled, she sat down on one of the kitchen chairs, looked out the French doors and watched the gulls flying over the sea, enjoying the calmness of this moment. It looked like it was going to be fairly fine day. As visiting hours at the hospital started at 10am, she decided she would get ready and go and for a walk along the beach before breakfast.

After a quick shower, she wrapped up warm and made her way downstairs and headed out of the door. The cold winter sea breeze hit her face as she entered the street and made her way down to the sea. It was a welcome sensation, waking her up and clearing her mind. She walked all along the beach front, watching the waves moving in and out and looking around for shells. She decided to take a few back with her to put next to Alison’s bed.

On her way back to the flat, she bumped into Mary who was on her way to Northanger Hotel.

“Oh, good morning Charlotte.”

“Hello Mary.”

“Have you been to the beach?”

“Yes. It really is so beautiful here.”

Mary smiled at her.

Charlotte continued “And the view from the Juliet balcony in the flat is stunning.”

“I’m glad you like it. Sidney was most insistent that you have that flat for that very reason.”

Charlotte’s heart began to beat faster again at the mention of Sidney’s name and she started to feel a bit faint, particularly as she hadn’t eaten anything yet.

“He was?” Charlotte looked at her confused again.

Mary nodded knowingly. “Are you off to the hospital later?”

“Yes, visiting hours start at 10.”

Mary looked at her, concerned. “I wish there was more we could do to help.”

“That’s really kind of you Mary. We really appreciate everyone looking after us.”

“If you’re up to it, we’d love to have you and your mum over for dinner. In fact, Sidney and George will be arriving tomorrow night and I’m sure they will want to see you. How about you join us then? Oh yes - and Esther too?” Mary tried to ask subtlety, studying Charlotte’s reactions.

Charlotte’s stomach flipped. “Oh, I don’t know, that seems like a lot of people, I’m not sure we’d be up to that.” She replied.

“Of course, I understand, but you would be amongst friends.”

Charlotte looked at her. It really was a kind gesture. “Thank you Mary. I’ll check with mum and let you know.”

Mary smiled. “I hope all goes well at the hospital.”

“Thank you Mary, see you later.”

“Bye.”

Charlotte let herself into the flat. Her stomach was in knots at the thought of seeing Sidney again. She wasn’t sure she was ready to see him yet. But when she mentioned the dinner invitation to her mum, she thought it was a lovely idea - particularly as it gave them opportunity to thank Sidney in person for his kindness to them. And so Charlotte was under instructions to accept the invitation gladly…

**********

Charlotte and her mum’s visit to the hospital that day had been much more positive. The bleed on Alison’s brain had started to shrink and the doctors no longer considered that an operation was necessary. Whilst she was not out of danger yet, they were hopeful that they would be able to wake her up from her coma in a few days’ time.

Esther had suggested that Charlotte join her for drinks at Northanger Hotel after dinner. Charlotte was reluctant to leave her mum at first, but her mum was as stoic as ever and thought it would be a good distraction for her. So Charlotte made her way there and met Esther at the hotel’s cocktail bar.

After ordering some mojitos and updating Esther on Alison’s condition, Esther decided to not beat around the bush and address the elephant in the room.

“So… Mary’s invited me to dinner tomorrow. I gather you and your mum are going.” She said.

“Yes…” Charlotte said shyly.

“… and Sidney…”

Charlotte nodded. “Yes – and Babington.” She replied trying to sound uninterested.

“So are you going to tell me what happened between you and Sidney?”

Charlotte wouldn’t meet her eye, instead choosing to stare at and stir her mojito with her paper straw. Esther waited patiently.

“It’s hard to say. I can barely comprehend it myself.”

“Did you sleep with him?”

“Esther!”

“Well did you?”

“…yes.”

Esther grinned at her and she couldn’t help but grin back a little.

“God Esther, it was just the most incredible night. I really don’t know what happened to me, I seemed to completely lose control around him. Maybe I just drank too much wine.”

“Do you really think it was just the wine?”

“I don’t know! I’m so confused. This is so unlike me – I don’t do things like this!” She paused, her mood suddenly turning sad. “And… and… I’m feeling so guilty because Alison is so poorly, but all I keep thinking about is him.” Charlotte started to cry.

“Oh Charlotte!” Esther pulled her in for a hug. “Please don’t feel guilty. Just because you are thinking about someone else does not mean that you love or care for Alison any less.”

“I know – but this is a guy I barely know, it’s completely irrational.”

“Sometimes you don’t have to know someone really well to fall for them. And isn’t love irrational anyway? Or an affliction even – like the measles.”

Charlotte giggled a little.

“Oh Esther! What am I going to do tomorrow night?”

“You are going to be yourself. Your beautiful, kind, clever self. And I will be there for support!”

Charlotte smiled. “How did I end up with such a good friend like you?”


	12. Hungry Hippos

Sidney had decided he was going to leave work early on Friday to try and avoid the rush hour traffic as he was driving himself and Babington to Sanditon in his Tesla. Mary had phoned Sidney and told him about her plans for dinner that evening and he was already feeling nervous about seeing Charlotte again. Babington had really dropped him in it this time! But whilst he was annoyed at his friend’s interference, he couldn’t stay angry at him as he was desperate to see Charlotte and had needed the nudge from Babington to do something about it. However, to get back at Babington, Sidney had decided to refrain from telling him that Esther was also coming… It would be fun to catch him off guard!

Sidney had arranged for Babington to have a room a Northanger Hotel, but he was to stay at Trafalgar House. When they arrived in Sanditon, Babington decided he wanted to go for a swim in the hotel’s pool and he would meet Sidney later for dinner. Tom and Mary were delighted to see Sidney when he arrived, as were his nieces and nephews. Tom immediately tried to draw him into a conversation about the progress of the Sanditon House Project, but Mary gave them strict instructions that there would be no business talk until tomorrow! So Tom and Sidney spent the next hour or so playing games with the children while Mary started preparing dinner.

***********

Charlotte and her mum made their way to Trafalgar house that evening. Charlotte was feeling really nervous about seeing Sidney again and she wondered if it would be awkward between them. They knocked on the door and were greeted by a friendly face.

“Hello – you must be Jane and Charlotte. I’m Tom, Mary’s husband. Please come in…” He said.

“How is your daughter doing Jane?” Tom asked as he took their coats.

“Oh, she is responding to treatment, but still in a coma. They are going to monitor her this weekend and hopefully wake her up on Monday.” Jane responded.

“Oh that sounds positive. And how do you find Sanditon?”

As they started engaging in polite conversation about the town, Charlotte decided to leave them to it and make her way further into the house. There was a lot of noise coming from one of the rooms to the left which had a door ajar. She pushed the door open further and stepped in.

On entering the room, she saw Sidney, a baby of about 8 months old sat on his lap, and three older children sat round what looked like a game on the floor. The door creaked and they all turned to look at her. She caught Sidney’s eye and her stomach flipped. She managed to give him a shy smile, which he returned.

“Uncle Sidney – we’re ready.” Said the little boy, causing Sidney to break his gaze with her. Charlotte took a closer look at the game and saw that it was Hungry Hippos.

“OK.” He cleared his throat and then in true gladiator style, shouted out in a Scottish accent:

“Alicia….ready?”

“Yes!” She screamed.

“Jennie… ready?”

“Yes!” she shouted

“Henry… ready?”

“Yes!” he roared.

“James… ready?”

James said nothing and looked wide eyed at Sidney…

“I’ll take that as a yes! 3, 2, 1… go!”

And off they went tap, tap, tapping, giggling and shrieking as they tried to get their hippos to snatch the balls, Sidney, glancing Charlotte’s direction now and again. The game lasted all but 30 seconds. After counting the balls and establishing that Henry had won, Charlotte’s presence was again noted by the children.

“Uncle Sidney – who is that pretty lady over there?” Jennie said pointing at Charlotte who was still standing in the doorway watching them all. 

Sidney looked over to Charlotte and her stomach flipped again. Sidney thought she looked stunning even though she was casually dressed.

“That’s my friend Charlotte. Shall we go say hello?”

 _Friend –_ there was that word again which confused Charlotte greatly.

The children nodded enthusiastically and skipped over to Charlotte. She squatted down to greet them – shaking each of them by the hand.

“Charlotte – this is Jennie, Alicia, Henry and James. The four troublemakers!”

“It’s very nice to meet you all.” Charlotte replied smiling.

“You have very pretty hair.” Alicia said, reaching out to touch a strand that had fallen out from behind her ear.

“… and very pretty eyes.” Jennie added.

“and… and.. a very pretty nose!” Henry added not wanting to be outdone by the girls.

Charlotte giggled.

“Well I have to say you are all rather lovely.” She looked at Sidney and shared a smiled. She rose to greet James who was sitting on Sidney’s hip.

“And hello master James. You are rather adorable… Oh…” James leant over to Charlotte, arms outstretched for her to carry him. “Well, hello young man, how nice of you to let me have a cuddle.”

Sidney couldn’t take his eyes off her. The picture of her with a baby in her arms was simply beautiful, and the way she was with the children was… well, charming!

“Charlotte – do you want to play a game of hungry hippos with us?” Henry asked.

“Now Henry – your Daddy said that was the last game.” Sidney replied.

“Oh – but we haven’t played with Charlotte!” He said stomping his foot.

Sidney looked at Charlotte and shrugged.

“OK – but if I get into trouble with Daddy, it’s your fault!” He replied, grinning, unable to resist his nephew’s plea.

“Yay!”.

Charlotte looked to James: “So whose team are you going to be on. Mine or your Uncle Sidney’s?” James looked at her inquisitively, then reached over to return to Sidney.

“Ouch!” Charlotte said teasingly, but looking at Sidney who was grinning at her.

“It’s OK Charlotte, you can be on my team.” Jennie replied.

“Why thank you Jennie.”

They all sat down round the board, Jennie sitting on Charlotte’s lap and James on Sidney’s. Sidney got ready to do his gladiator introduction again and cleared his throat for dramatic effect.

“Alicia… ready?”

“Yes!”

“Henry… ready?”

“Yes”

“Jennie and Charlotte… ready?”

“Yes” They screamed.

“James… ready?”

James was silent again. Sidney shrugged.

“3, 2, 1… go!”

And off they went madly tapping the hippos, giggling and shrieking until all the balls had been collected. After counting the balls, it was determined that Charlotte and Jennie had won.

Tom then walked in the lounge.

“Right kids – time for bed.” Tom said, taking James from Sidney.

“Oh…” they all groaned.

“Come on. If you brush your teeth quickly, Uncle Sidney can read you a bedtime story.”

“Yes”. They jumped up and rushed to the door. Jennie paused before leaving.

“Charlotte – you must join us. Uncle Sidney is the best at reading the Gruffalo. He does the funniest voices!” Jennie said.

Charlotte looked at Sidney who smiled shyly.

“OK.” She replied and they made their way upstairs to the kid’s bedrooms.

They all sat in the girls’ room, James on Charlotte’s lap this time, the three other children crowding round Sidney to look at the book. He began.

“A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood…”

Charlotte gazed at him, entranced. There was something deeply attractive about a man who was good with children. He was a very good story teller. His deep tones were perfect for this particular story, especially when he came to do the Gruffalo’s part. She could not help but laugh along with the children when he did the voices as he was very funny!

“… the mouse found a nut and the nut was good…” Sidney closed the book and looked over to Charlotte.

“Right, you lot into bed.” He said, but still looking at Charlotte.

“Oh – please can we have another one?” The children pleaded.

Tom walked in. “No, afraid not. Come on everyone. You need to let Sidney and Charlotte have their dinner!” He tucked the girls into their beds as Sidney led Henry out the door to his room. Tom then took James from Charlotte and headed for the nursery as Charlotte headed downstairs to join the others.

Her mum was in the kitchen talking to Mary, so she decided to join them.

“Charlotte! How lovely to see you. Dinner will be about 10 minutes. We’re just waiting for Esther and George to arrive.” Mary said smiling at her.

Charlotte nodded. Sidney entered the kitchen behind Charlotte and she shivered slightly as her body seemed to acknowledge his presence.

“Oh Sidney – have you met Jane yet?” Mary said.

“Oh so you are Sidney!” Jane walked over to him and grasped his hand. “Thank you, thank you so so much for sorting out the flat for us. We are quite overwhelmed by your kindness to us. In fact, everyone has been so good.”

“Of course, it was my pleasure. How is Alison?” He asked politely.

“She is improving, but it’s still touch and go. We’re hoping they will wake her from her coma on Monday, but we’re not sure what the long lasting effects will be…” She stopped to compose herself. “But being in such easy distance of the hospital makes things much easier, so thank you.”

“Sidney – would you choose some red wine from under the stairs for us? Why don’t you take Charlotte with you?” Mary asked him.

Sidney nodded and turned to Charlotte.

“This way.”

They made their way down the hallway, neither really knowing what to say to the other, until Sidney turned to her and said.

“How are you really doing Charlotte?” His voice full of concern for her.

She sighed heavily. “I’m not sure really. It’s all been rather overwhelming. I’m just pretty exhausted to be honest.”

“Understandable.” Sidney replied.

They crouched down together to look at the wine available under the stairs.

“It was a merlot you liked wasn’t it?” Sidney said to her, picking out some bottles and checking the labels.

“You remembered?” She said timidly.

He turned to look at her “Of course.” He said softly. Neither of them moved for a minute until there was a knock at the door. Tom raced pass them to get it, and Charlotte and Sidney got up, a couple of bottles of wine in Sidney’s hands.

“Esther, welcome.” Tom said in his normal enthusiastic fashion.

“Tom – how are you?”

“Very well, very well. Come in.” Then he rushed off with Sidney to decant the wine.

Charlotte walked over to Esther.

“Esther!” they kissed each other’s cheeks.

“How’s Alison today?”

“Oh, improving each day. They may wake her up on Monday.”

“Oh that’s good news.”

She smiled, and then noticing Sidney and Tom were out of ear shot, said.

“So have you broken the ice with Sidney?”

“I think so. So far, so good anyway.”

“See – I told you that you just needed to be yourself.”

There was another knock at the door.

“Esther – would you get that, it’ll be George.” Tom shouted down the hallway.

Esther opened the door.

“Esther! Well this is a nice surprise.” He said clearly taken aback. “I didn’t think we would see each other till tomorrow.”

Esther just smirked at him.

“And Charlotte – how are you?” Babington asked.

“As well as can be expected thanks.”

“I was so saddened to hear about your sister. I hope she is doing better?”

“A bit better, thanks, but still a long way to go.”

“Right.” He said, no good at small talk in these situations and also trying to compose himself after the surprise at seeing Esther which had made his heart race.

Esther cut in after a moment’s silence, noticing the slight awkwardness. “Shall we go into the dining room? I think dinner is about to be served.”

“Yes – after you.” Babington said. And off they went to the dining room.


	13. Small talk

Mary had made a fabulous roast beef dinner with all the trimmings, enough to rival even some of the most elaborate Christmas dinners, despite the fact that this was January and Christmas was very much over! They all sat down at a large rectangular dining table, various dishes set in the middle of the table for the guests to help themselves. Sidney took his seat next to Charlotte. The close proximity between them gave Charlotte butterflies and she was sure the room was getting hotter…

A decanter full of wine was making its way round the table.

“Fancy a glass?” Sidney asked, his eyes piercing hers, making breathing more difficult.

“Please.” She replied breathlessly. Sidney then obligingly filled her glass.

“Mary, this looks amazing, thank you!” Charlotte’s mum exclaimed.

“Here here…” Babington responded. “A toast to the chef.”

They all raised their glasses “to the chef.”

Mary shook her head, slightly embarrassed. “Please tuck in!”

“Can I load your plate up with anything?” Sidney asked attentively

“Thanks – I’ll have a bit of everything!” Sidney smiled. It was nice to meet a girl with a healthy appetite. He took her plate and started loading it up.

As he did so, Charlotte took a sip of wine. “Nice choice.” She said to him. Sidney nodded at her slightly acknowledging her compliment and passed her back her plate.

“Mary sure knows how to put on a good spread!” Charlotte said eyeing up the food.

“Yes, she loves playing host and her cooking is divine.” He replied. Charlotte smiled at him shyly and looked down at her food. She was obviously feeling a bit awkward around him, and who could blame her. He had to admit it was a pretty unprecedented situation for him too and that also made him a bit on edge. Eager to dispel the tension between them, he tried to engage in some small talk.

“So, what do you think of Sanditon so far?” He asked her.

“Well, I can’t say I’ve seen much if it yet as we’ve been spending at lot time at the hospital. But I’ve been enjoying my morning walks along the beach.”

"Yes... well it's not quite got the appeal of Brighton, but I think Sanditon is more happily situated."

"Yes... quite."

He smiled at her, not sure what to ask her next. Ordinarily he was very good at small talk, networking was his thing after all, but he found that being around Charlotte made his mind go completely blank.

Thankfully, Charlotte came up with the next topic of conversation.

“I have to say, I’ve never heard such an animated rendition of the Gruffalo before.” She said, looking up at SIdney, meeting his gaze and thinking her heart might have actually stopped beating.

“Well that was nothing compared to my rendition of the Highway Rat, which is also one of their favourites.” He replied, grateful that Charlotte had picked a topic of conversation he could better engage with.

“Don’t think I’ve heard of that one.” Charlotte continued slightly apprehensively, keenly aware of that she needed to keep her elbows tucked in or else she would knock his arm and she was worried of the effect that might have on her. “You are very good with them you know.”

“They’re really good kids.”

“Yes, they seem very sweet and a lot of fun!” Another awkward pause. “Do you come and visit Sanditon often?” Charlotte asked.

“Not as often as I should.”

“I suppose it’s difficult with your job and other commitments…”

“Yes to a point, but it’s easy to use that as an excuse. I probably ought to try better.” He smiled at her sincerely.

“So what are your plans while you’re here?” Charlotte asked.

“I’ve got a bit of business to sort out with Tom, but mainly I’m here to just to spend time the family. I’ve promised to take the kids swimming tomorrow morning. Then I expect I’ll be roped into watching Frozen in the afternoon for like the hundredth time…”

Charlotte smiled, finally starting to relax. “Ah yes, always a family favourite, but have you seen Frozen 2 yet?”

“There’s a second one?” His said slightly exasperatedly.

Charlotte giggled at his reaction. “How do you not know this? It’s been in the cinemas for months now and there is merchandise, like, everywhere!”

Sidney shook his head. “Obviously I’ve not been going to the right places… Have you seen it?”

“Of course! I saw it over Christmas with my siblings. We always go to the cinema on Christmas Eve it’s a family tradition.”

“… and… is it any good? I mean – does it have a song that’s going to be as big as ‘Let it go’?”

Charlotte smiled, a twinkle in her eye. “I don’t think you’ll ever find a song that will top that! No, I don’t think the film is as good as the first, but it’s still worth a watch. Maybe you should take the girls to see it? I’m sure they’d love it?”

“… that sounds… stimulating!” He gave her a mischievous grin. “Maybe you should take them instead. They seemed to like you!”

“But why should I need to take them? I’ve already seen it!”

“Hmm… Yes, very good point… But are you sure you wouldn’t want to see it again?”

“Depends…”

“On what?”

She lowered her voice, leaned slightly towards him and almost whispered: “On who I’m going to see it with.”

Sidney swallowed, he had been enjoying the flirtatious banter, but the nearest of her as she leaned towards him caused his heart to beat faster. His skin was tingling, aching to touch her, but this was not the time nor place. He fought the desire springing up within in him, smiled at her and then promptly proceeded to take a gulp of wine to help him get a grip on himself. It was going to be a long evening…

*******

After dinner everyone retired to the lounge for tea and coffee and some more polite small talk. Mary took the opportunity to accost Charlotte and get to know her better. She was sitting down with her mother on the sofa and Mary took the seat next to them.

“Thank you for such a lovely meal Mary.” Charlotte said to her.

“Oh, you’re very welcome. I love cooking. There’s something about having a house full of people to look after.”

“I agree.” Charlotte’s mum said. “Charlotte is one of six children, so we’re used to a house full!”

Mary smiled. “I was an only child growing up and would have loved to have siblings. But now I have four of my own children to contend with. But I love having a big family!”

“Well from what I have seen of your children, Mary they are adorable and a real credit to you.” Charlotte said.

“Thank you Charlotte.” She smiled. “So Sidney never did tell me how you two became friends…”

“Oh…” Charlotte started to panic a bit. How was she going to explain this to both Mary and her mother? She could hardly reveal the truth of their close encounter. Of course they would be interested in their connection, particularly if they were, as Sidney described them, _friends_ … and they must suspect it was at least a firm friendship given the lengths Sidney had gone to sort out the flat. But how was Charlotte to explain their supposed friendship when they knew so little of each other? Charlotte started to feel rather hot, and she was sure that she was going red. Thankfully Esther was standing close by and on hearing the question, came to her rescue.

“They met through me, Mary. I introduced them at a party in London.” Which was true, except she had left out that the party was merely a few days ago.

This seemed to appease them for now, although Mary was eyeing her suspiciously.

“Oh, that’s nice. Well, I must say it is good to meet another one of Sidney’s friends. We see a lot of his business associates, but not many friends of his. Of course, George and Harry come and visit now and again which is nice as we’ve know them for a long time.”

Charlotte smiled politely, not really sure what to say. Thankfully Esther was able to steer the small talk off in a different direction, much to her satisfaction.

********

Charlotte and her mum decided to call it a night fairly early, as they were both pretty exhausted and needed to prepare themselves for another day at the hospital tomorrow.

Sidney spent that night processing his second encounter with Charlotte. He was disappointed that he had been unable to have a substantial conversation with her, but what he wanted to say was to be said in private. He needed to find a moment when they could be alone together. Then he remembered that she had said she went for a walk along the beach in the mornings. Perhaps this would present him with an opportunity for him to say what he needed to say to her. He hatched a plan to get up early the next day… and hopefully meet her at the beach.


	14. A walk along the beach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to make you wait for this one... But I hope it was worth it!

Sidney awoke early the next morning, full of nerves. He spent the next hour or so in bed going over the conversation he wanted to have with Charlotte in his head. This was unknown territory to him and he wanted to get it right. As the sun began to rise, he showered, got dressed, but then started to get twitchy. He kept looking out of his bedroom window, which had a sea view, to see if he could see Charlotte walking along the beach. He tried to read the news on his phone to pass the time but gave up as he was so agitated.

Sidney kept thinking back to his second encounter with Charlotte yesterday; the easy way she was with the kids, the way she’d laughed freely at his story telling which made his heart melt, the beautiful moment when she was holding James in her arms. It was like he’d seen a glimpse of his future with her and it made his heart pound loudly in his chest. He’d given up on having that sort of future with anyone after Lizzie broke his heart. But he never realised that he wanted it so badly - and now he would do anything to get it.

Soon enough, Charlotte came into view, wrapped up tight in a puffer jacket and woolly hat. He practically ran down the stairs, grabbed his coat and keys and went after her.

The weather was quite cold and windy with a few flecks of rain here and there, but that couldn't deter Charlotte from her daily stroll. She enjoyed the sensation of the wind on her cheeks, despite the cold, as there was something refreshing about it. She was finding her daily ritual was becoming a necessity. It gave her the opportunity to process what has happening with Alison… and also with Sidney. If possible, seeing Sidney again had made her more confused than ever. The way he had been with the children was so charming, she couldn’t take his eyes of him. She was deeply attracted to him, but the effect of his presence on her scared her a little. It was all so new and overwhelming.

As it was quite windy, Charlotte didn’t hear Sidney approaching her or calling out her name until he was practically standing right next to her.

"Charlotte!" she nearly jumped out of her skin when she finally noticed him.

“Shit! F***! Oh Sidney, it’s you! God you scared the f***ing life out of me!” She said placing a hand to her chest, her heart racing fast which was probably due to a combination of the shock and the particular person who had appeared.

“Sorry. Are you OK?” Sidney looked at her apologetically.

“No – you nearly gave me a heart attack! What were you thinking ambushing me like that?” She was scowling at him the same way she did when he had first saw her and the memory made him smile.

“Stop smiling – it isn’t funny!” She said indignantly.

“Sorry…” He tried to stop, but couldn’t as he thought she was being adorable. “I didn’t mean to ambush you - I was calling your name from all the way back there.” He said pointing down the beach.

“You didn’t think that maybe the noise of the wind and the sea would have drowned you out?” Charlotte said trying to get her breath back and feeling quite dishevelled.

He shrugged and continued to grin at her. Despite her firm resolve, she found herself starting to grin back, finding his smile infectious. She shook her head at him. “You’re going to be the death of me Sidney Parker!”

“God, I hope not!”

She looked at him suspiciously. “So what are you doing up so early anyway?” She asked when she had finally got her breath back.

“Same as you I imagine."

“And what’s that?”

“I fancied a walk on the beach.” He smiled at her teasingly.

“Oh really – at eight thirty in the morning?” She asked sarcastically.

“Yes, really… Shall we keep going then?”

Charlotte couldn’t exactly say no. “Fine – but no more sneaking up on me.”

“I didn’t…” Sidney started to say, but Charlotte gave him a look to shut him down. He held up his hands in surrender and laughed. “Fine.”

They started walking together.

"Looks like it's about to rain..." Sidney said looking over to the black mass of cloud approaching on the horizon. 

"We're going to talk about the weather now are we? Are things really that awkward between us?" she said hitting the nail on the head. 

He smiled and shook his head. "Maybe a little awkward." he agreed. 

"Could be worse. Mary cornered me last night and asked how we became friends..." she was glowering at him again. 

"Ah..." 

"Yeah, you well and truly dropped me in it there."

"…What did you say?" 

"Esther rescued me and said we met through her… which was sort of true."

He smiled, slightly embarrassed, wanting to change the subject to get to the conversation he wanted to have with her.

“So, is an early morning walk your usual habit, or just one you’ve developed in Sanditon?” Sidney asked her.

She sighed heavily. Did he realise that the question he’d asked her hit a nerve? She started feeling like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders again. "A new habit… I've… I’ve not been sleeping great lately what with everything going on. A brusque morning walk helps clear my head. What's your excuse?"

"Pretty similar really."

"How so? What's going on the land of Sidney Parker."

Sidney paused. This was it, the time to confess.

"Well, I met this amazing girl a few days ago and now I can't stop thinking about her..." he said softly in his deep voice.

Charlotte stopped in her tracks and looked at him, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open in shock. Did she just hear him right? She felt like she needed to hold onto something as her legs were quickly turning into jelly.

Sidney stepped a bit closer to her and continued. "I erm... I have a confession to make."

"Another one?" Charlotte said nervously.

Sidney smiled shyly and looked at his feet briefly before meeting her gaze again. "Yes... I didn't really come to Sanditon to see Tom and the kids... I came here to see you."

"You did?" She said in disbelief.

Sidney nodded. “I needed to see you.”

“Why?” Charlotte’s voice was so quiet and timid, he barely heard her. Her emotions were starting to get the better of her as his gaze was so intense.

“Because I never got to finish what I wanted to say that morning before you got the phone call and I needed you to understand something.”

“What?” She asked, finding that all she could currently manage were one or two word questions as it felt like there was a clamp around her chest.

Sidney took a deep breath. “Our night together… it… it meant something to me. You mean something to me…” He was struggling to find the right words to say. He knew that it wasn’t particularly eloquent, but he hoped that she could understand what he was trying to convey.

There was silence for a moment whilst Charlotte processed what he had said to her. Sidney was studying her intently, a knot was starting to form in his stomach as he waited for her reply. The cute little frown had appeared again between her eyebrows and his mouth started to become dry.

Eventually she turned to look at him and took a deep breath. “Sidney… I hardly know what to make of what happened between us. I had a wonderful time with you. But, to be honest, I’m so bloody confused by it all. I mean… I’ve only just met you!”

“I know…”

“…And the same things keep going round and round in my head… the amazing night we had together… but then finding out about Alison… the fact you didn’t call or text … you telling Mary and the kids we’re friends, whatever that means… then I only go and find out that you’re the one who sorted out the flat, and even told Mary to give us the room with the best bloody view in Sanditon… and… and that’s a lot of thoughts swimming round my head… and… it’s all so overwhelming…”

He stepped towards her. “Charlotte - I’ve been a f***ing idiot. Truth is… I have no bloody idea what I’m doing… I’m sorry...”

She smiled timidly at him and said quietly. “I don’t think you’re an idiot and you don’t need to apologise. Sorting out the flat was a pretty amazing thing for you to do for us… I… I haven’t actually thanked you yet …” Charlotte was struggling to speak and she was sure she was about to cry, the impact of his actions to help them suddenly overwhelming her.

“I wished I could’ve done more…” He said quietly, slowly getting even closer to her.

Charlotte nodded as tears filled her eyes and a couple fell down her cheeks. Sidney reached out a hand and brushed them away tenderly which made her want to cry even more.

“I’m so scared…” she whimpered and then she found she couldn’t stop the tears pouring out.

Sidney drew her into his arms and held her close to him as she sobbed, clutching his coat lapels and burying her head in his chest, all the pent up emotions of the last few days suddenly being released. Sidney didn’t say a word, but just let her cry as he rested his cheek upon her head.

After a few minutes she released her grasp and took a step back from him.

“Sorry – that’s the second time I’ve blubbed on you.” She said, wiping her tears away with her hands.

“You can blub on me anytime.” He replied, still holding onto her waist, not wanting to let her go and giving her a reassuring smile.

“God, I’m such a mess!”

He looked at her, his eyes full of concern. “Hey – give yourself a break.”

She nodded, and looked at her feet again. He moved one of his hands off her waist and reached to lift her chin up so that she would look at him and then left it there on her cheek, wiping away the last of the tears with his thumb which made her shiver.

Her eyes were shining from the tears as she met his gaze and said. “I just keep thinking, what if she doesn’t wake up? Or what if she wakes up and she’s not… Alison anymore. I’m trying to be strong for my mum, but inside, my heart is breaking.”

He brought up his other hand to her face and brought his forehead to touch hers, then said tenderly. “You don’t have to pretend with me OK? I want to be here for you… if you want me to.”

A few more tears spilled down her cheeks which he continued to wipe away with his thumbs. “But… this doesn’t make any sense.” She whispered.

“No, it doesn’t!” He leaned back to look at her, moving his hands off her face and down her arms to take her hands. He smiled lovingly. “But why does it have to make sense? Maybe we should stop trying to make sense of it and do something.”

“What do you mean?”

"I mean… look, I know the timing sucks... And I’m happy to wait and give you all the space you need – as long as it takes. But, I don't want what we had to be a one-time thing. I want to do this with you... Properly."

She was getting breathless, her hands tingling as he held them. "Properly?"

He nodded. "Yes, properly. Like, starting with a first date.”

She smiled shyly. “I’d like that…” They stood and gazed at each other for a minute or two. “…but please not Frozen 2.” She added.

He chuckled again. “No, I have something much more romantic in mind.”

“Sidney Parker, the romantic?” She teased.

“Well, if I’m going to do this properly, there has to be a bit of romance… Just let me know when you’re ready OK, no rush.”

She nodded. “OK.”

He intertwined his fingers with hers and they carried on their stroll along the beach.

“What time are you heading off to the hospital?” He asked.

“In an hour or two…”

“So that gives me time to show you something…”

She looked at him curiously which made him laugh. “Come on…”

He led her brusquely along the beach.

“Where are we going?” She asked trying to keep up with him.

“You’ll see…” He squeezed her hand for reassurance as he led her off the beach and up a slightly hidden cliff path. It was very steep, and Charlotte needed some assistance from Sidney to help her up in places. The top of the path opened up into a small wooded glade of beech and oak trees and on the floor was a carpet of flowers of white, purple and pink.

“Wow…” Charlotte said. The sight was really quite something. “What flowers are these?”

“Cyclamen.”

“They’re beautiful!” She crouched down to look at them more closely. “How did you know about this place?”

“I come here a lot when I need some time to myself… I guess it’s like my own secret den.”

Charlotte looked round. It was very much like a secret garden and, despite the proximity to the sea, quiet and peaceful as the trees blocked out the sound of the wind and waves. It felt like a place of sanctuary.

She got up and smiled at him. “Thanks for showing me.”

He started walking closer to her and his gaze started flitting between her eyes and lips.

"Can I kiss you?" the question had escaped his mouth without him thinking about it. If it hadn't of been so cold, a blush would have been clearly visible on his cheeks.

"I thought you wanted to do this properly?" she smiled teasingly, but slightly breathless.

He smiled guiltily in return. "Yes... But the problem is you're pretty irresistible."

"Is that so?"

He nodded. She stepped closer to him and his heart started racing. She lifted her face towards him as he leant down towards her and their lips met in the middle. He drew his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him as she linked her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his hair. The kiss was full of emotion and promise of things to come.


	15. Without Pretence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we're leaving a happy Sidlotte for a minute and heading to Sanditon House.

Sidney dropped off Babington at the gates of Sanditon House that afternoon. A driveway lined with oak trees led down to the property which he could glimpse in the distance through the trees. There was also some movement up ahead – and he realised to his surprise that a small herd of fallow deer were grazing on some grass a little way from the house. He rang the intercom and waited nervously for a response.

“Yes?” A female voice said.

“Esther? It’s George… Babington.”

“Ah yes, come in and I’ll meet you at the front door…” She buzzed him in.

Babington went through the gate, which shut automatically behind him and walked down the avenue of trees towards the house. The house was very happily situated, appearing to emerge from the landscape, nicely fitting in with its surroundings. Once out of the avenue of trees, there was a large lawned area in front of the house. On his approach, the deer decided to scatter and went to go and hide in the trees.

He knocked on the door and Esther appeared, dressed smartly in a knee length black dress with black suede boots. Her red hair was tied back in a scruffy bun, her hazel eyes were bright, and she had a haughty expression etched on her face. She gave him a polite smile.

“Babington! Welcome.”

“Esther, how are you?”

“Can’t complain.”

There was a slight awkward pause.

“It looks like it’s about to rain, so shall we start with a tour of the gardens first, and then we can explore the house?” Esther suggested.

“Very well.”

“I’ll just get my coat.” Esther went back inside briefly to fetch coat. “Right, this way… So I suppose I ought to start by telling you a bit about the house?” Esther said, a bit unsure of herself.

Esther proceeded to fill him in on the history of the house and how it came to be in the possession of the Denhams. Babington was only half listening as he kept getting distracted by a tiny wisp of hair that had fallen out of her bun which was grazing the pale skin on the back of her neck.

After she had relayed the history, Babington asked. “How long have the deer been here?”

“About 200 years.”

“That’s a nice and unusual feature to have. But will they disturb your visitors, especially in the rutting season?”

“No, they’re pretty timid creatures. We keep them in a large enclosed area during rutting season away from the house.”

Babington nodded.

Esther continued the tour. “This part of the building will be the tea room. It’s only half finished at the moment, so not much to see.”

Esther led them around to the back of the house and through a gate to the back of the house to the formal gardens which were immaculately landscaped. The hedges were trimmed into various different shapes and some snow drops and early daffodils were starting to emerge from the flower beds.

“This must take a lot of work to maintain?” Babington observed.

“Yes, we have a team of gardeners. The gardens will be one of the main attractions so we need to keep on top of it.”

They spent some minutes exploring different parts of the garden which included an impressive lake.

“So, what’s the set up with Tom Parker? How does the partnership work?” He asked inquisitively.

“We set up a company together - we are co-directors. I’m in charge of HR matters, marketing and publicity, the art collection and interiors. Tom deals with the building works, business plans and finances.”

“How many staff do you have?”

“Six at the moment which I kept on after my Aunts death, cleaners, gardeners and our butler. But we’ll be looking to start advertising soon for curators, café staff etc. I’ve been spending a lot of time preparing the job descriptions and things.”

“And, if it’s OK to ask, how are you financing all of this?” Babington asked.

“My Aunt’s investments, Tom’s investments, grants, donations… We’ve got a big application to the Lottery Heritage Fund awaiting approval. Should hear any day now.”

A few spots of rain started to fall. “Shall we go inside now, I think it’s starting to rain?”

They hurried back round the house and into the entrance hall. It was incredibly grand, with a big and imposing chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

Esther carried on. “We plan on doing a tour of some of the rooms of the main house and set them up as they would originally have been through the ages, including the drawing room, dining room, library and then some bedrooms upstairs. We’ve been all through the attics and found some treasures. Various artwork, china, silverware, but also letters and documents which we’ve been sifting through with our experts to understand the real history of the house. A lot of what we've found will all be on display in the rooms. We had a real surprise when we came to renovate the drawing room. A lot of the floor tiles were broken, so needed to be removed, but when we did remove them, underneath we found the most incredible floor… Come and see it.”

She opened a door to the left. The drawing room was a really splendid sight. Artwork and tapestries were hung on all the walls. A great gilt statue of Neptune was standing proudly at the back and there was a large open fireplace. Babington cast his eyes to the floor. It was black marble with a picture of a huge red snake on it. It was very unusual.

“Gosh – what a find! Why do you think it was covered up?”

“Well, we found some letters from the mid nineteenth century. Apparently the then Lady Annabel Denham had it covered up. She said it had been “indelibly stained”, although I can’t see what’s the matter with it!”

“So is the intention to eventually open the whole house to the public?”

“No, just the main part – I am keeping my own private wing.”

“So you won’t mind sharing your house with members of the public?”

“Not really, it’s a pretty separate part of the house. And initially I will need to be on site anyway so it’s easier this way.”

They spent the next half hour going round the rooms which will form part of the tour. As the rain was now coming down in torrents, Esther suggested they have a cup of coffee in her private wing until it eased, much to Babington’s delight. The private wing was very different from the remainder of the house. It modern and cosy, but with various works of art hung on the walls. They sat down in the living room.

“So… Babington. What are your honest observations about our enterprise?” Esther asked bluntly.

“Well… I’m impressed to be honest. There seems to be lots of potential. But, it also seems bloody hard work!” He replied.

“Yes! Especially when working with a monomaniac and his crazy schemes! It helps to have the best people around you. Charlotte’s firm have worked wonders.”

“Charlotte?”

“She works for Thornton & Hale. They’ve done all our legal work.”

“Oh, I didn’t picture her as a lawyer.”

“What did you picture her as then?” Esther said defensively.

“Maybe… I dunno, a teacher?”

“A teacher? Interesting. What about me? What did you picture me as from our first encounter?” Esther asked rather seductively and it made Babington gulp down his coffee a bit too fast so he started coughing. Esther was looking at him with a glint in her eye.

When he had recovered, he said… “Maybe a model or an actress?.”

“Oh God, Babington, you can do better than that!” She said mockingly.

He blushed and looked embarrassed, but pressed on nonetheless. “And… and what did you think of me?” Babington asked nervously.

“Well you were introduced as the bar owner to me straight away, so there was no time to make an assessment.”

“OK…”

“But, I was intrigued as to why the son of an Earl would be opening a wine bar.”

He smiled shyly at her. “I guess there is a part of me that wanted to do something for myself. I’ve always thought that my life has been somewhat of a pretence, always living in the shadow of my future unearned and unmerited title. I want to be known as something other than just the son of an Earl.”

Esther looked at him thoughtfully “So you thought you’d be known as a wine bar owner instead?” She said teasingly…

“Ha ha – well, when you put it like that…” She smiled at him.

“I do get the wanting to do something for yourself part though. I spent all my life wanting to get as far away from this place and everything it represented as soon as possible. But now I somehow find myself back here. I doubt there are many among us who can honestly say they live a life free from pretence. Whether or not we’re the son of an Earl.”

“True. So one must release themselves from such a burden.”

She smiled at him. “Yes, perhaps one must.”

He stayed for another ten minutes before taking his leave as the rain had now stopped. Esther decided to walk with him to the gate.

“Thank you for the tour… and everything. It’s been very… informative.”  
She nodded and he continued. “Perhaps, we could do this again… I mean… meet up…”

“… and talk business?” She said sarcastically.

He smiled shyly. “Amongst other things I hope.”

“Well, you have my number. You may contact me, if you wish to waste your time.” She said flippantly.

Babington laughed. “Then I shall.”

“Babington, why do you persist when you are treated with so little civility?” She asked, studying him closely.

“Perhaps it’s the fascination of what’s difficult.” He replied.

They stood in silence for a minute, until a voice startled them both.

“Esther!”

They both turned round.

“Edward?” Esther said incredulously. “Edward!” She let him through the gate and practically jumped into his arms, delighted to see him. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I had some time off so thought I would come and see my favourite person in the whole wide world.” She smiled widely at him and hit his arm playfully. Then she suddenly remembered Babington was still standing there with her.

“Oh, sorry – Edward, this is George Babington. I’ve just been showing him round the house. He’s interested in doing something similar to one of his own properties.”

“Ah – another manor house owner!” Edward said in a rather unflattering tone.

Babington smiled politely.

“And Babington – this is Edward. My broth… step brother.”

Relief swept over Babington once he had heard the worth “brother” and two gentleman shook hands in silence.

“Well, nice to meet you Edward, but I better be off as I’m meeting Sidney. I’ll be in touch then Esther.” Babington said rather hurriedly.

She nodded. “Goodbye.”

Esther watched Babington walk away down the road then met Edward’s gaze.

“I can’t believe you’re here! You didn’t even make it down for Christmas!”

“I wanted to surprise you!”

“You certainly did that! Come on, let’s get inside and we can catch up!”

They linked arms and walked down the avenue of trees and into the house.


	16. Skittles

Charlotte’s encounter with Sidney that morning had a transformational effect on her. She arrived back at the holiday flat much brighter and more positive than before. Jane and Charlotte headed to the hospital shortly after she returned from her walk. Alison’s condition continued to be stable and she’d had a good night. The treatment was continuing to do its work and the doctors were still keen to try and wake her up on Monday.

After an hour or so sat with Alison, Charlotte’s phone went off indicating a text had arrived. When she looked at her phone, her stomach flipped as it was her first text from Sidney. She opened it nervously.

_Sidney: Hey. How’s Alison?_

Short and to the point, but it showed he was thinking of her so she didn’t mind. She sent back a reply.

_Charlotte: Doing well. Still on to wake her up on Mon._

_Sidney: Are you OK?_

_Charlotte: I’m much more than OK. You? x_

She hesitated before sending the next text, wondering if she should put a “ _x_ ” at the end. She felt like she was a teenager again! She decided to be brave and do it.

_Sidney: Same_ _😊 x_

It was something so small, but the fact he had also sent back a “x” made her heart beat faster.

Another text shortly followed, but this time from Esther.

_Esther: Edward’s here. You should meet him!_

Charlotte wondered what Esther’s brother was doing here. She’d not met him before, but she knew he had a colourful history. Still, the last she’d heard was that he was doing well and working for a charity which sounded encouraging. Charlotte knew how much he meant to Esther, so despite her reservations, she sent back an enthusiastic text.

_Charlotte: Oh cool. Yup would luv to. Free tonight?_

_Esther: Great! Meet @ pub? 8pm?_

_Charlotte: OK see you there._

Just as she sent that text, another quickly followed.

_Sidney: Can I see you tonight? X_

Damn. She would of course have loved to spend the evening with Sidney, but she’d now arranged to meet Esther. She wondered if Sidney would want to meet them at the pub…

_Charlotte: Meeting Esther & Edward @ the pub @ 8pm if u wanna join us? X_

_Sidney: Could do. But wanted you to myself._ _😉 x_

This made her smile as it was exactly what she was thinking.

_Charlotte: Sorry_ _☹ x_

_Sidney: Tomorrow? Fancy breakfast? X_

The butterflies in her stomach were starting to surface again. Was this to be their first date? She wasn’t sure, so thought she should ask.

_Charlotte: Like a date? x_

_Sidney: Not a date. x_

Well that’s confusing…

_Charlotte: What then? x_

_Sidney: Just breakfast. x_

So that was no clearer either. Sidney would have to explain that one later.

_Charlotte: Right. OK_ _😊 Are you still coming tonight? x_

_Sidney: Probably. Will invite Babbers. X_

The thought of seeing him even in a group setting made her smile and also made her a bit nervous. Still, she’d done it before and could do it again. She thought she ought to let Esther know what was going on.

_Charlotte: Sidney and Babington may also come to pub if that’s OK?_

_Esther: You're texting Sidney?_

_Charlotte: Yup – lots to tell._

_Esther: We’ll chat later._

_Esther: And yes all OK. It's a free country._

Charlotte smiled. Even in her texts Esther could come across as aloof, but she’d been friends for her so long now that it didn’t bother her anymore.

Charlotte’s mother was studying her intently. Charlotte seemed different to her today. Much more her usual cheerful self and the messages coming through were bringing a wide smile to her face.

“Care to share what all the messages are about?” She asked curiously.

“Oh just arranging to meet Esther and a few others at the pub later. Her brother’s in town. That’s OK, isn’t it?” She suddenly wondered if her mum would want some time with her.

“Of course it’s OK.”

“It’s just I don’t want to leave you if you want some company.” Charlotte asked, worried about her.

Charlotte’s mum smiled. “It’s fine. I’ll probably have an early night anyway, and I’ll also need to call your father… Will Sidney be there tonight?”

“I think so.” Charlotte tried to act indifferent.

“So… are you going to tell what’s really going on between you two?”

“What do you mean?” Charlotte asked nervously.

“I saw you both returning from the beach earlier, hand in hand.”

“Oh.” Perhaps they weren’t as discreet as they thought they’d been. She blushed.

Her mum smiled. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. But all I will say is this. He must care for you a great deal to sort out the flat for us.”

Charlotte looked at her shyly and shook her head. “It’s early days. Alison is what’s important right now.”

Her mum nodded. “Of course, but that doesn’t mean you should put the rest of your life on hold. Sidney seems like a good man.”

“Yes, he is.” She replied, her smile wide.

“OK. We’ll leave it there then – for now.” Her mum replied with a knowing smile.

************

Charlotte rocked up to the pub later that evening and found that she was the first to arrive. She always felt awkward in these situations. She decided to stand at the bar and wait so she could order a drink in the process. As she was ordering, a familiar voice came from behind her.

“So have any attractive, brooding males been served before you tonight?”

Her stomach flipped and she smiled and turned round. Sidney was stood behind her grinning at her.

“No, but I haven’t seen any yet!” She replied mischievously.

“Ouch!”

“And the bartender is male this time, so perhaps that works in my favour.”

“Well if it doesn’t, there must be something wrong with the world.” His voice was low and seductive and made her heart race.

She smiled back at him shyly. “So perhaps I should buy you a drink this time?”

“Sure – why not. Pint of bitter please.”

As Charlotte was ordering, Esther and Edward entered the bar, arm in arm.

“Charlotte!” Esther said enthusiastically. “Sidney” she said not so enthusiastically…

“Hi Esther. And you must be Edward.” Charlotte replied.

“Enchanted to make your acquaintance.” He said to her, looking directly into her eyes, taking her hand and kissing it. She could feel Sidney tensing up next to her.

“Nice to meet you – I’ve heard lots about you.” Charlotte said slightly taken aback by his greeting, but she was trying to be polite.

“Oh God, Esther, what have you been telling people! It’s all a lie – don’t believe a word that she says!” He said with a sneering smile.

“I was just ordering drinks if you’d like one?” She asked them both.

“Gin and tonic for me please and I expect Edward will have a double vodka lemonade and lime.” He nodded, but appeared a little distracted.

Charlotte ordered the drinks and they all took a seat round a table. Sidney sat next to Charlotte. He made to hold her hand under the table which made her stomach flip again.

“Is Babington coming?” Esther asked, trying to sound disinterested.

“He got caught on a call with Crowe, but he’ll be here shortly.” Sidney replied, appearing as cool as a cucumber, but Charlotte was still feeling a bit overcome by the physical touch, especially now that Sidney was stroking little circles on the top of her hand with his thumb. She was sure they were going to get rumbled, this time by their friends.

“So what brings you to Sanditon, Edward?” Charlotte asked, trying to get the conversation going and ignoring the feelings that holding Sidney’s hand in secret were evoking in her.

“Oh I just had some annual leave to take, so thought I’m come and see Esther for a few days. I didn’t make it back for Christmas, so it’s been some months since I was last here.”

“What do you think of the progress Esther and Tom have been making with the house project?” Sidney asked

“Yeah, it’s great. The floor in the drawing room is an incredible find! I think that will be the main selling point.” Edward replied, but he was being a bit jittery.

“I’ve only seen the photos of it, but it is very… unique. I’m not sure I would have liked to have that in my house though!” Charlotte added.

“Probably why it was covered up eventually. It’s unique and unusual, but pretty hideous.” Esther said.

Babington walked through the door and wandered over.

“Evening all. Sorry I’m late.”

“Babington. Have you met Edward?” Sidney asked.

“Yes, this afternoon after my meeting with Esther.” He smiled politely. “Has everyone got a drink?”

“We’ve just ordered thanks.” Charlotte said.

“I’ll have another…” Edward interjected. Esther shot Edward a look. “What?” He protested. Esther rolled her eyes at him, clearly exasperated.

“Sure – Edward, what do you want?” Babington said, eager to ease the tension.

“Double vodka lemonade and lime thanks.”

Babington went off the buy the drinks.

“So is there a pub quiz tonight? Or maybe some karaoke?” Edward asked.

Charlotte shifted a bit nervously in her seat – she was hopeless at pub quizzes and hated singing in public.

“Nothing special, but there is a darts board or a skittle alley if you fancy it?” Esther said flatly.

“Skittles? How quaint! Could be tempted after a few more drinks.” Edward replied.

“A few more?” Esther gave him a look again.

“Calm down Esther. Worried I might embarrass you in front of your friends?” Edward snapped back at her.

Charlotte and Sidney were beginning to feel awkward as the mood between Esther and her brother intensified. Thankfully Babington returned just in time.

“Here you are Edward.”

“Much obliged” he said, nearly downing the drink in one.

“We were just discussing whether to play darts or skittles.” Charlotte said, trying to ease the tension.

“God, I haven’t played skittles since I was a kid.” Babington responded.

“Me neither.” Said Sidney. “I vote we play a game.” Perhaps it would be a good distraction from whatever was happening between Esther and Edward.

“Fine.” Said Esther. “As long as it does not evolve into a drinking game this time.” She shot them all a disapproving look.

Edward finished his drink and stood up. “I will join you in a bit, just popping to the mens.”

Edward left them as they headed to the skittles alley.

Esther accosted Charlotte on the way. “You know, if you want two want to be discreet, you need to try a bit harder.”

Charlotte smiled at her. “I don’t know what you mean?”

They approached the skittles aisle.

“So, Charlotte, do you have a hidden talent for playing skittles as well as pool?” Babington asked.

“No… Sorry to disappoint, but my bowling skills are hopeless. I always insist we have the bumpers up when we go ten pin bowling with my family.” Sidney smiled at her. In fact, she didn’t think he had stopped smiling at her yet since he arrived.

“What about you Esther?” Babington enquired.

“I’m OK. But probably a bit out of practice. Why don’t you two boys play first and then us girls will have a go.” She replied.

“Very well.”

Sidney and Babington set up the skittles and started a game while Esther and Charlotte caught up.

“So… Do tell all, what’s happened with you and Sidney?” Esther jumped straight in.

“He ambushed me on the beach this morning…”

“And…?”

“And he said… he said he’d he come to Sanditon to see me, not Tom.”

“Well that much is obvious.”

“But… he was just so lovely, wanting to be there for me while things are going on with Alison … and… and he wants to do things properly…” She couldn’t stop smiling as she reeling off the things he had said.

“What does he mean by properly?”

“He wants to take me on a first date.”

“OK. So… when will that be?”

“Oh, we’ve haven’t fixed a date yet. Everything’s so intense at the moment, what with Alison and everything. I want to see how she is next week after they wake her up.”

“Sounds sensible.”

“But… he is meeting me for breakfast tomorrow.”

“OK, but isn’t that a date?” Esther asked, confused.

“Apparently not… I’m not really sure what he’s up to! But I do want to see him.”

“He sounds like a man on a mission to me.”

Charlotte smiled, but then frowned, confused. “Esther, do you think it’s OK to be this happy, even though Alison is so unwell?”

Esther smiled. “Of course. You deserve to be happy. And Alison would want you to be happy too.”

Charlotte nodded, feeling slightly reassured.

There was a cheer from the boys. Sidney had won the game.

“Right girls, your turn.” Babington said to them.

Esther and Charlotte made their way to the skittles alley. Once they were out of earshot, Babington turned to Sidney and asked “What do you know about Edward?”

“Not much really. He left Sanditon after finishing school. Him and Esther were estranged for a while. I think the only time he’s been back since is once when Lady Denham was ill and then again at her funeral. I know Esther has visited him in Manchester a few times over the last couple of years, which is where he currently resides. He works for a homeless charity up there I believe. Why?”

“Oh, just curious. They seem very close… Esther and Edward.”

“Well, their parents died with they were children. I guess it’s only natural that there would be a strong bond between them.”

“Yes, I suppose.”

“Something irking you Babington?”

“Just something about him that doesn’t sit right.”

“I know what you mean. He’s been acting a bit odd tonight and there is definitely some tension between him and Esther.” Sidney agreed.

The girls were giggling and they both turned to look at them. Noticing Sidney’s gaze on Charlotte, Babington asked “So are you pleased you came to Sanditon, Parker?”

“Maybe. Thanks for the nudge!” He replied sheepishly.

“Anytime.”

The girls walked over, their game having concluded.

“Where’s Edward?” Esther asked.

“Haven’t seen him.” Babington replied.

Then as if conjured by thought, Edward skipped towards them. He looked euphoric and a bit all over the place. He held out his arms and said dramatically, his eyes wide.

“Ah, Esther! Dear, dear Esther. Here you are! Is it my turn to play? Love a game of skittles me. I hope you haven’t been keeping score without me?”

 _Shit_ Sidney thought _he’s taken something._

“Edward – are you alright?” Esther asked him.

“Yes, never better!” He replied.

Sidney took Babington to one side. “We may have a problem. I’m pretty sure Edward has taken something.”

“F***! What do we do?”

“Well, I can’t be sure. Let’s wait and see what happens.”

They watched Edward closely as he started talking the ears off Charlotte and getting into the game of skittles. He was as high as a kite and pretty soon, the girls had also caught on that something wasn’t right.

“Edward… what’s going on?” Esther demanded.

“What do you mean Esther?”

“Have you…” Esther took a deep breath. “Have you taken something?”

Edward grinned at her. “No…” but then tapped his nose.

“Edward, what were you thinking! I thought you had stopped all of this nonsense?”

“Oh relax Esther, it’s only a bit of fun.”

“A bit of fun? Don’t you remember what happened last time?” She said accusingly.

“Trust you to bring that up again! Goody two shoes Esther who did nothing wrong in her Aunt’s eyes. Pretty perfect Esther who was left her Aunt’s fortune and who is squandering it away in a ridiculous scheme that will only come to ruin. Esther the one with the terrible judgment, no wonder all your relationships end badly! My darling sister Esther who has no thoughts, no consideration for her brother at all!” Edward was looking menacingly at her, his euphoric condition quickly shifting sinister.

“Edward, that’s not fair.” Esther looked like she was on the verge of tears.

“Fair? You want to talk about what’s fair? Being left destitute and homeless with not a penny to my name. Forced to beg on the streets, completely at the mercy of strangers while you enjoy the privileges of living in... possessing a gigantic house.”

Esther was mortified. “It was your choice to leave Edward. You know you could have come home at any time.”

“Home? Home? That was not my home! And you… you are not fit to call yourself my sister…!”

Babington was unable to stand by and watch any longer.

“Come now Edward, this is not the time and the place, perhaps we should take you back.” He approached him to take his arm and lead him away.

“No, unhand me you blackguard!” He moved his arm quickly and struck Babington in the face. The strike was not intentional, nor particularly hard, but Babington stumbled backwards in shock.

Sidney rushed forward, pushing Charlotte behind him protectively in the process. Edward clearly was not in a sound state of mind. He held out his hand in front of him. “Now Edward, listen to me. What have you taken? Where did you go just now?”

Edward was finding it difficult to focus on him, the combined effects of drugs and alcohol taking its toll.

“I’ve just been catching up with my old friend Charles.”

“F***!” Sidney said under his breath. Then turning to Edward, he said gently “Why don’t you come with me and get some fresh air?”

Edward stood still for a minute. Then nodded. Sidney looked at Esther to acknowledge that he had this under control. He led Edward out of the back door and outside.

Once he had left Babington strode purposefully towards Esther. “Are you OK?”

She shrank back from him. “No I am not… You had to try and intervene didn’t you?”

“What?” Babington was taken aback.

“I am not some damsel in distress waiting to be rescued!”

“But he was tormenting you… he…”

“You know nothing about it!” She shouted at him.

“Esther… come on, he was only trying to help.” Charlotte interjected. Esther stood still for a moment, breathing heavily. “Perhaps we ought to get you home. Let’s go back to the bar and order a taxi.” Esther was in shock at the turn of the night’s events. She nodded, letting Charlotte take charge of her. Charlotte cast Babington an apologetic look. The taxi was called and Esther was whisked away. No-one had said a word while waiting. Charlotte turned to Babington.

“Esther’s not really angry at you, you know. Her and Edward have a rather… complicated relationship.”

Babington nodded, still feeling hurt. Sidney re-entered the bar.

“I’ve put Edward up in a hotel room. He’s sleeping it off.”

“That was a dramatic turn of events.” Babington added. The three of them were feeling a bit subdued.

“How about we have another drink before going home?” Charlotte suggested.

“Sure. My round.” Sidney said. The left an hour later. They dropped Babington off at the hotel then Sidney walked Charlotte back to the flat.

“So… breakfast tomorrow. Where do I have to be and when?” Charlotte asked.

“Hotel – 9am?”

“And… this isn’t a date?” She smiled teasingly.

“No, it’s breakfast.”

“Yes, but that’s confusing.”

Sidney smiled at her. “I just wanted to see you before I go back to London. I have bigger plans for our first date.”

Charlotte looked at him curiously. “OK… breakfast tomorrow then…” She went up to him and gave him a quick peck on the lips. “Goodnight.” She went inside leaving Sidney standing there for a moment, his lips tingling. He shook his head and smiled disbelievingly knowing he was well and truly gone – hook, line and sinker!


	17. Not a date

Sidney decided to get up early the next day and join Babington for a swim at the hotel pool before meeting Charlotte for breakfast. He was to head back to London after lunch with the family, including Diana and Arthur who he’d not had the chance to see yet. Sidney was wondering when he’d see Charlotte next. He’d told her to let him know when she was ready for a first date, that he would wait as long as it takes, but he was not a patient person by nature. It had been cheeky of him to invite her to breakfast really, but he desperately wanted to see her again before he left, especially if it would be awhile before he would see her again.

Sidney met Babington in the lobby of the hotel where he was sat reading the Mail on Sunday. The front page caught Sidney's eye and he recognised a familiar face. Babington noticed him and tried to hide it.

"Parker."

"Too late, Babington, I've seen she's in there."

"Sorry... Do you want to see it?" Babington asked nervously

Sidney considered this for a minute. A week ago, if he'd have seen her face in the paper he would have been unnerved. When they had first broken up he would spend hours poring over the internet reading articles about how socialite Lizzie Barnes had ensnared Hollywood actor Frederick Campion who was 15 years her senior. But now he just felt... Nothing.

"No... I don't actually." Sidney said flatly.

"You sure?" Babington wasn't convinced.

"If there is something you think I ought to know then fine, but I honestly don't care."

"OK..." Babington looked conflicted.

"You obviously want to tell me so get on with it."

"They've split up, Lizzie and Frederick Campion." _Ah, so that explained the New Year's text._

"Right" Sidney wasn’t sure how he was supposed to react to this information.

"And... and you may be mentioned in the article."

"Me?" Sidney wondered why on earth he would be in there. He'd not seen Lizzie since they'd broken up as she'd moved to Los Angeles to be with Campion.

"Look, why don't you just read it." Babington said.

Sidney sighed "Fine." He took the paper from Babington and skimmed his eyes over it. He could really do without this. Didn't people have anything better to do their time then read idol gossip?

"Right, let's go for a swim." he said when he'd finished reading the article, handing over back the paper to Babington.

"Is... that it?"

"Yup."

Babington was studying him curiously. Sidney's response was obviously not what he was expecting. Babington smirked at him. "It's Charlotte isn't it?"

"What do you mean?" Sidney replied, even though he knew exactly what he meant.

"You're… different. Happy, even." Apparently this was unusual for Sidney.

Sidney smiled, but was unwilling to engage in this conversation right now… "Let's go."

After the swim, Babington went to get breakfast and Sidney thought to see how Edward was doing. The hotel night staff had been doing regular patrols pass his room to check in on him and nothing untoward had happened. It was probably best to just let him sleep it off. He asked the staff to deliver some breakfast to his room when he woke. Sidney didn't think it would be wise for Edward to join the other guests in the dining room, plus he didn’t want to have to interrupt his time with Charlotte to deal with him.

Sidney had arranged for himself and Charlotte to sit together in a private corner of the dining room, away from prying eyes. He was craving some privacy as he was finding he was getting a few looks from staff and guests who had recognised his image in the paper.

Charlotte arrived promptly at 9am, wrapped up warm in her coat, her cheeks and nose pink from the cold and her eyes sparkling.

"Hey..." she said nervously.

"Hi." Sidney managed in return as his mouth had gone dry at the sight of her. Did she realise the effect she had on him?

"It's bloody cold today." Charlotte said trying to start the conversation as she took off her thick winter coat. She had dressed casually in her habitual skinny jeans and sweater, her hair loose, but clipped back away from her face. She gave him a nervous smile. Sidney suddenly realised he'd been watching her closely and blushed slightly.

"Our table's this way." He led the way as Charlotte followed him into the dining room and to their table. A few guests kept glancing in their direction as they passed. It was impossible to not to notice the attention Sidney was getting and he ran his hands through his hair, embarrassed.

They sat down. Charlotte was grateful that Sidney had picked a private spot.

"So what's going on? Why was everyone staring at you just now.?" Charlotte asked.

"You noticed that huh?" He said disconcerted.

Charlotte nodded.

Sidney sighed. "I’ve made an appearance in the paper today."

Charlotte was taken aback by this. "Why?"

"Because Lizzie has split with her husband and naturally the gossip columnists want to dissect everything about her love life, which unfortunately drags me into it. Plus they’ve stuck a photo of me in there." Sidney said, irritated by the whole affair.

"Oh... But why would that make the news?"

He smiled at her ignorance as it was exactly what he was thinking. "Probably because her estranged husband is Frederick Campion."

"What?! Your ex fiancée is Lizzie Barnes?" Charlotte said, eyes wide mouth agape. Sidney nodded apprehensively. He didn't want this to change what she thought about him. "What sort of photo is it?"

"They’ve taken one from an interview I did in GQ fairly recently about the Level39 community." Charlotte guessed it must be a flattering one in that case, no wonder he was getting such much attention!

"OK..." Charlotte was still processing this information. It was a bit of a shock to find out she was (sort of) dating someone who was... well... such a big deal.

"How are you feeling?" Charlotte asked. 

"Annoyed and a bit embarrassed."

"I don't mean about the article. I mean how do you feel about Lizzie? The split?” Charlotte was starting to feel a bit insecure. She remembered how he had reacted to the text message from Lizzie at New Year. Would the fact she was now single tempt him to reconcile with her again? And this was Lizzie f***ing Barnes! Beautiful, rich and powerful, moving in very different social circles to herself – social circles that Sidney probably also moved in too… It was intimidating.

“Honestly? I don’t really feel anything… except perhaps mild curiosity.” Sidney replied.

The waitress walked over. “Good morning. What can I get you?”

Charlotte had not had the chance to look at the menu yet.

“Tea?” Sidney asked her knowingly.

She smiled, delighted that he’d remembered. “Please.”

“One tea, one coffee please Rachel. And we’ll need a bit longer to look at the food menu thanks.” Rachel left them.

“So, what’s good to eat here?” Charlotte asked. The whole menu looked delicious, she’d quite happily eat anything.

“The eggs benedict is my favourite.”

“Right – well I’ll have that then!”

“That’s very decisive!” He said, amused.

“I don’t mess around when it comes to food.”

“Clearly!”

Charlotte’s head was still thinking about the news.

“So… Frederick Campion… was he the guy that… that..”

“… that I caught Lizzie having sex with?” Sidney finished her sentence for her. Charlotte nodded. “Yes. They’d been having an affair for months.”

“F***!”

“Yup, it was pretty brutal. We were planning to get married that spring, we’d sent out invitations and everything. I didn’t suspect a thing. I was too blinded by my feelings for her and I was in a pretty dark place after that. If it wasn’t for Tom, I probably wouldn’t be here.”

“Tom?” Charlotte said, urging him to continue.

“I went a bit off the rails for a few months. Drinking too much, occasional drug use...” He stopped and looked at Charlotte, feeling ashamed and wondering if he should continue. She gave him a shy smile to let him know it was OK. “It all came to a head one day when I’d mixed a deadly concoction of drugs and alcohol and fell unconscious. Tom found me, got an ambulance and basically saved my life.”

“… and is all this in the paper today?”

“No, thankfully! But I guess being connected to a celebrity does leave your past vulnerable to being exposed at some point.” Sidney was feeling anxious. He needed to be honest with her about his past, but was worried about whether this would put her off dating him.

Rachel returned again to bring them their drinks and take their food orders. Charlotte was feeling thoughtful about what Sidney had told her.

“What are you thinking Charlotte?” Sidney looked at her concerned.

“I dunno, it’s just a bit of a surprise that’s all… and pretty intimidating at the same time… I guess I’m wondering what a guy like you would want with a girl like me?” She said timidly looking into her tea cup.

He reached over and took her hand. “Don’t doubt yourself. I’m a different man from what I was then. It’s not what I want anymore.” Charlotte nodded her head in acknowledgement, but still looked unsure.

“I’m sorry you had such a shitty time.”

“Me too and it’s crap that it all keeps catching up with me all the time, but… I’m trying to re-write my history.” He said and they shared a smile.

“Can I at least see the photo of you in the paper?” She asked coyly, blushing slightly.

Sidney chucked. “If you wish… but only if you’re still going to go on a date with me.”

“You mean this isn’t a date?” She joked.

“Sorry if it’s confusing.” He acknowledged. “I just wanted to see you… because I don’t know when I’ll get to see you again.”

She smiled at him softly. “I will hold you to that date Sidney Parker, don’t you fear.” He stroked her hand and gazed at her and she felt herself getting lost in his eyes again. Once she had remembered where they were, she managed to ask: “So what are your plans before you go home?”

“Tom and I are going to go over some business this morning, then Diana and Arthur are coming for lunch.”

“No Frozen today then?” She said playfully.

“Hopefully not, but my nieces and nephews can be very persuasive!” Sidney admitted.

“I think they’ve got you wrapped round their little fingers.”

“So it would seem.” He agreed.

“What do Arthur and Diana do?” Charlotte was curious about Sidney’s family.

“Diana runs our property development company with Tom. She’s taken on a greater role since Tom has been involved with Sanditon House. Arthur is the hotel manager.”

“So it’s a real family affair then? And where do you fit in with it all?” Charlotte asked.

“I’m shareholder and director of each business, but not involved in the day to day management. More of a silent partner really.” Sidney replied.

Charlotte considered this for a moment. “That’s still quite a lot to be getting on with alongside a full time job. When do you get time for yourself?”

“Says the person who before New Year hadn’t been out in months!” Sidney teased.

“True, but I’ve only got the one job even if it is demanding. I couldn’t’ imagine also having to deal with the family businesses as well.”

“I guess it’s about being disciplined, which I’m not great at to be honest. Sometimes I find I’m working even in my free time – making introductions and stuff.”

“…and when was the last time you went on holiday?”

“Erm… God, I don’t actually know! I was in the US a couple of months ago, but that was for work.” He considered this for a moment. Shit! When did he last go on holiday? Two, three years ago? The realisation was rather shocking.

Charlotte was watching him intently as he struggled to remember. “Tenerife – three years ago with all the family.”

Charlotte’s eyes widened. “Three years ago?”

“OK, I know it’s bad… but what about you then?”

Charlotte looked all smug. “Four months ago to Croatia with Clara and Esther. We go away together every summer.”

“Nice.”

“That reminds me, have you seen Edward this morning?” Charlotte inquired.

“No, but the staff have been keeping tabs on him. I’ll sort him out later, make sure he gets home.” _If Esther will let him come home,_ Sidney thought.

“I tried to phone Esther this morning, but she didn’t pick up. Is Babington OK?”

“Think so. Edward didn’t strike him hard, if anything it was accidental.”

“That’s not what I meant…” Surely it was obvious that Babington had a thing for Esther.

“Yeah… he’s made of thicker stuff than you think. He won’t be easily put off.”

“Well he’ll have his work cut out with Esther.”

“Yes, seems like it!”

Rachel arrived with their food and they tucked in. Pretty soon it was time for Charlotte to go and visit Alison. Sidney settled the bill and they made their way back to the hotel lobby where Charlotte picked up her coat and Sidney offered to walk her back to the flat.

“So, I know I said there was no rush on when to have our date, but can I still call you, text you?” Sidney asked nervously.

Charlotte smiled at him. “Of course.”

They reached the entrance to the flat and looked at each other awkwardly. Sidney looked around uncertainly, wanting to kiss her, but not in sight of anyone. Then he spotted the alleyway next to the property which would hide them from view. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into it.

Charlotte gasped “Sidney – what are you…?” She couldn’t finish the rest of her sentence because of the intense look in Sidney’s eyes made her lose the power of speech. Her back was against the wall of the alleyway and he towered over her. He was so close to her, she could feel his warm breath on her cheeks. Her gaze moved to his lips and her hands grabbed his coat to pull him closer to her still. She drew his mouth to hers and she kissed him passionately and deeply, her desire for him so strong that she felt she had lost all control of her senses. He pressed her up against the wall, his body fighting to get close to her, but barred from doing so because of all the layers of clothing. He kissed her back with equal passion, nipping her lips slightly making her moan, fuelling his desire for her even more. Neither of them wanted to stop, but eventually Sidney came to his senses and broke the kiss, both of them breathing heavily.

“Charlotte…?”

“Yes…” She managed to whisper.

“I’m gonna miss you.”

“I know. Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been blown away by all your lovely comments. Thank you so much. I'm so pleased you're enjoying this. Lots more to come!


	18. Like a Hugo Boss model

Sidney returned to the hotel after saying goodbye to Charlotte and went to see Edward. On entering his room, he found him better than expected. Edward had managed to have a shower and get dressed and was nibbling on some breakfast that had been provided by the hotel staff.

“Parker” Edward said to him as he let him through the door.

“Edward.” Sidney replied. “How are you doing?”

“Better. Thanks for sorting the room.”

“No problem. Have you heard from Esther?”

“No.” Edward looked a bit confused. “To be honest, things are a bit fuzzy from last night.”

“No doubt. Coke and vodka are not a good mix in my experience.”

“Your experience?” Edward asked, slightly surprised.

Sidney gave him a knowing look.

“What did I do?” Edward asked fearing the worse.

“You said some things to Esther. She was very upset. And you struck Babington, but I think that was accidental.”

“F***! Is he hurt?”

“No, he’s fine. Look, you don’t have to talk to me, but I think you at least owe an explanation to Esther on what’s going on with you. And… please get some help.” Edward nodded in acknowledgment. “Right, once you’re ready to go, I’ll meet you in the lobby to take you back to Sanditon House.”

Sidney left leaving Edward to finish his breakfast and pack up his things. While he was waiting he called Esther to let her know he was bringing Edward home.

***********

Esther let Edward in the side door to her private wing of Sanditon House. Her eyes were puffy. She’d obviously been crying and had not had a good night’s sleep. The episode in the pub had conjured up lots of painful memories around the time Edward had left home. She was only 13 at the time, but even at so young an age she was aware of his recreational drug use. He would return home late at night off his face and end up having heated arguments with their nanny and aunt. Esther would hide under the bedcovers, hands over her ears, pretending to be asleep, but she was greatly distressed by the episodes. And then one day, the summer after he had taken his GCSEs, he went to a party at the end of school and never came back. Esther had cried every night for many weeks after that. She had already been abandoned by her parents, and now she had been abandoned by him. Ultimately she blamed her aunt for forcing him to leave, but inside she also knew his drug habit also had something to do with it.

Getting back in touch with Edward when her aunt was ill took a lot of courage because Esther was scared about what he may have become. She was so relieved when she found out he had turned his life around. He had confessed his drug problem to her, telling her he had got help and had been clean for a few years. But the Edward she had seen yesterday in the pub, was not the Edward who had come back into her life two years ago. She was troubled by this sudden change in character and scared that he may be regressing back to a place that had caused them both so much pain.

“Edward.” She said coldly.

“Esther.” Edward replied guiltily.

“Coffee?”

“Please.” Edward replied.

Esther made the drinks and then they sat down in the living area in awkward silence.

“Look, Esther. I can’t really remember what happened last night. But I’m sorry.” Esther shot him a look of despair and disappointment.

“Edward. What is going on with you? Why exactly are you here?” Esther said exasperatedly.

Edward sighed. He didn’t really want to have this conversation and he wondered how much he would have to tell her.

“I told you. I’m here on leave - to see you.” He said bluntly.

“You _also_ told me you had given up the drugs. Was that a lie? Or is this a relapse?” She said angrily.

“Esther… Last night was a one-off, a momentary lapse in judgment. I… I bumped into an old friend at the pub and… well, regrettably we did a couple of lines.”

Esther shook her head at him disbelievingly. “Things are going so well for you. You have a good job, a second chance in life. Why risk throwing it all away?”

“I’m not! It was just one stupid mistake, that’s all. It won’t happen again.” He said between gritted teeth.

Esther was studying him. “Do you think you need to get some help?”

“No, it was a one-off, I promise.” Edward tried to sound convincing.

“Isn’t that what all addicts say?”

“Esther, please. I’m not an addict.”

“No! I will not tolerate any more drugs while you are here Edward. I mean it. And you need to promise me you’ll get help when you go back to Manchester. I will not stand by and let you go down that slippery slope again.”

Edward nodded meekly and responded. “Understood.” He felt like a naughty school child.

“You hit Babington you know.” Esther continued.

“I know – Sidney told me, but I can’t say I remember it.”

“Don’t you think you ought to apologise?”

“I will if I see him, but isn’t he returning to London today with Sidney?”

“I believe so.” Esther said reflectively.

“What’s going on with you two anyway?” Edward asked suggestively.

“Nothing.” Esther replied with indifference.

“He’s keen on you, I know it.” said Edward teasingly.

“Well if he is, he’s wasting his time.”

Edward smirked. “That’s the Esther I know and love.”

**********

Charlotte couldn’t get used to the sight of her sister wired up to so many machines. Every time she entered the hospital and saw Alison lying in the hospital bed, she had to pinch herself to remind herself this was real. It seemed so unfair, so unjust, that her sister was lying there. She would do anything to trade places with her. Charlotte had at least got used to the beeping noises, no longer jumping when a machine went off. But she still got anxious when a nurse would come to do their regular checks. Charlotte desperately wanted to share with Alison everything that had happened between her and Sidney. There were never any secrets between them and it bothered her that she was prevented from telling Alison about him. She hoped against hope that tomorrow would be a success when they attempted to wake her up from her sedation.

The only positive thing to come out of the situation was that Charlotte had the opportunity to spend time with her mum by herself – not surrounded by any of her other siblings. They passed the time catching up about the farm, family, her niece and nephew, and Charlotte’s job. But Charlotte hadn’t confided in her mum about Sidney. Whilst Charlotte and her mum were close, she was worried about her mum’s reaction to their recent encounters – particularly the part about her jumping into bed with him when she’d only just met him! No, there were some things she didn’t want to share with her mum. These things were for Alison’s ears only… and possibly her friends.

The morning went by quickly and soon it was lunchtime. Charlotte’s mum went to go and get some food from the shop while Charlotte stayed with Alison. This gave Charlotte some time on her own to reflect on her “not a date” breakfast with Sidney earlier. Charlotte still couldn’t believe that Sidney’s ex fiancée was Lizzie Barnes! It messed with her head a bit, despite the fact everything that had happened between Sidney and Lizzie was five years ago and actually, the thing that had made Lizzie so famous was her relationship with Frederick Campion. Charlotte hadn’t read the article yet. She knew Sidney had said she could, but she was a bit worried about what it might say. However, her curiosity got the better of her as she really wanted to see his photo. So she took a deep breath and searched for it on her phone.

 _SHOCK SPLIT! Hollywood legend, Frederick Campion splits with_ _Brit_ _wife of four years, Lizzie Barnes._

_The fairy tale romance of two time Oscar nominee Frederick Campion and heiress to the British “Lamptons” department store empire, Lizzie Barnes, has ended. The couple released a short joint statement earlier today confirming their separation and requesting privacy at this difficult time. According to in an inside source, their marriage has been in trouble for some months now and it came as no surprise that the two have decided to call time on their marriage. Questions now arise as to the custody of their two year old son, Blake and whether Barnes will wish to return to her family in London._

_Campion met Barnes in 2014 when filming for his movie “Get it and Go” in London. Barnes was engaged at the time to Sidney Parker – now director of tech giant iTSM (see photo from GQ Magazine September Issue 2019 bottom left) - who is currently single, but has been linked to supermodels Thelma Jones and Yasmin Flowers since his split from Barnes. It has long been speculated that Campion and Barnes were having an affair during her engagement to Parker. However, news of Campion and Barnes’ relationship wasn’t officially confirmed until March 2015, a couple of months after Barnes called off the engagement._

_Campion and Barnes were last seen together in October 2019 at the wedding of actress Reese Wilder in LA. It is thought that Campion’s closeness to his previous wife and mother of his two children (Max (13) and Grace (11)), Gina Mathers caused friction in his marriage to Barnes and this was a major factor in the split._

Charlotte looked at the photo of Sidney. He looked like a Hugo Boss model! And he’d been linked to supermodels… Did that mean he’d dated them in the past? Or were they the flings he’d referred to in their conversations at New Year? She sighed, feeling wholly inadequate. How was she to compare with that?

As she was pondering these things her phone buzzed and she saw that she had a WhatsApp photo message from Sidney. She opened it nervously.

_Sidney: The kids are asking where my pretty friend Charlotte is?_

The photo was of Sidney with his nieces and nephews, smiling and waving. She looked at the photo for some time. Granted, it was nothing like the quality of the photo in the paper, but it still showed off his handsome looks and… more than that it was a photo just for her and the thought made her heart race. She wondered if by sending a her a photo, Sidney also wanted one of her? It seemed right to reciprocate. She got ready to take a selfie, but it wasn’t one of her talents. The first one was at the wrong angle and gave her a double chin! The second was much better, but there was a load of hospital equipment in the background. The third one was just about OK. She was never going to look like Lizzie Barnes, so beautifully manicured and preened, but she was hoping Sidney preferred the more natural look. She sent it to him and held her breath.

_Charlotte: Aww cute. Say hi from me_ _😊_

_Sidney: Beautiful xx_

Charlotte’s stomach flipped when she got Sidney’s reply and she blushed. She was grateful that her mum had not witnessed the exchange. Did Sidney realise the effect he had on her, even when he wasn’t in close proximity to her? She thought back to their goodbye kiss this morning. She had completely lost control of herself… again! What was happening to her? But then, he seemed equally as lost as her in that moment. Who would have thought it? Sidney Parker was into Charlotte Heywood? Charlotte shook her head and smiled to herself in disbelief.

**************************

Sidney enjoyed his time with the family that afternoon. He loved being around his nieces and nephews, they never failed to bring a smile to his face. But he knew that he was smiling for more reasons then just the kids.

“Uncle Sidney… why do you keep looking at your phone?” Jennie asked.

Sidney blushed. Since he’d received the photo from Charlotte he kept having to have a look at it.

“Just some work emails Jennie…” It was a lie, but he couldn’t exactly spill what he was actually doing to a 7 year old.

Mary was watching Sidney closely. She loved having him to visit, he was so good with the children and his presence always had a calming effect on Tom, which she was grateful for! Mary was pretty sure that her hunch about Sidney and Charlotte’s relationship was correct, particularly as Sidney seemed completely unfazed by the news article about Lizzie. She was convinced that his complete indifference to the news could only be explained by a redirection of his affections elsewhere. Mary was not naïve, however. The situation with Charlotte’s sister was tragic, and no doubt they were trying to be inconspicuous for that very reason. As such, Mary felt that now was not the time to broach the matter with Sidney. Instead, she would be content just knowing that Sidney seemed to be happy.

**************

Sidney and Babington got back to London later that evening. Once back at his apartment, Sidney was grateful for some time by himself. He unpacked, put a wash on and helped himself to a beer from the fridge. It felt a bit strange being in the apartment now. Even though Charlotte had only been there for a few hours, he felt her absence keenly. Sidney looked at her photo again on his phone and wondered whether it would be OK to call her. Perhaps he should text her first to check now was a good time.

_Sidney: Are you free to chat? x_

_Charlotte: Yes x_

He smiled and push the call button.


	19. It's a date

Sidney and Charlotte spent over an hour talking to each other on the phone that evening. Conversation flowed easily as they shared what had happened in their day. Sidney talked more about his family and his job. Charlotte talked about her childhood and growing up on a farm. They laughed, they joked, they flirted and it was wonderful. When Charlotte finally hung up the phone, she had a big smile on her face. She came out of her room to go through the living area to the kitchen. Her mum was watching something on the TV.

“You were talking a long time.” Her mum observed.

“Was I?” Charlotte asked, trying to look inconspicuous. She hadn’t quite realised how time had got away with her.

Her mum smiled. “Was that Sidney?”

Charlotte looked at her guiltily. “Maybe.”

“Huh. Funny that.” Her mum teased.

“I’m… I’m… just going to get a drink then I’ll go to bed.” Charlotte said trying to change the subject of the conversation.

“Very well. Goodnight.” Jane said still grinning at her.

“Mum!”

“What?”

“Stop it! Stop grinning at me like that!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jane pretended to look at the TV still smiling.

************

Charlotte woke up early the next morning, anxious about the day ahead. Once the sun had risen, she set out on her daily walk along the beach to clear her head and ready herself for the day. She kept looking over her shoulder, expecting Sidney to ambush her at any moment again, but alas, he never appeared. She decided to go and find his secret den again. Charlotte carefully navigated the steep path, which was much harder without Sidney’s assistance. When arriving there she found the place as beautiful as she remembered it from a couple of days ago. But Sidney was not with her this time, and his absence was very much felt. Charlotte stayed in the den for a while and decided to send a photo of the flowers to Sidney.

_Charlotte: Guess where I am? Wish you were here too. x_

Sidney replied almost instantly.

_Sidney: Me too. Will be thinking of you. Hope all goes OK today. Call me anytime if you need. Xx_

Charlotte and her mum made their usual journey to the hospital later that morning. When they arrived, the medical team had already started withdrawing the sedation medication. They were not allowed in to see Alison initially as the doctors were continuing to monitor the “waking up process”. The doctors had been preparing them for a while about how Alison may behave when she woke. Given the length she had been sedated and the significance of her injury, she could have an extended period of post-traumatic amnesia and was likely to be very fatigued. The long lasting effects of her injury may not be known for days, or even weeks.

After an hour or so of waiting around, the doctors came to update them on Alison’s progress.

“Well, the good news is that Alison is awake. Her vital signs are looking good. She has been talking to us, but she is quite confused and disorientated. She does not seem to have any memory of the accident. She has been asking after you though Charlotte, which is a good sign.” The consultant told them. “You can come and see her now.”

Charlotte and Jane made their way into the room. Alison’s bed had been tilted upwards. Her eyes were upon, but she appeared to be finding it difficult to focus on what was going on. Charlotte and her mum walked up to her slowly.

“Alison, your mum and Charlotte are here to see you.” The nurse said.

Alison looked over at them, trying to focus. “Mum? Charlotte?”

“Alison! Oh my dear, dear girl!” Charlotte’s Mum said going close to her and stroking her head as tears fell down her face. Charlotte went the other side of her and held her hand, relief flooding her body.

“Where am I? What’s going on? Where’s Mark?” Alison appeared quite agitated.

“It’s OK Alison, you’re in the hospital. I’m here with Charlotte. You were in a car accident, but you’re being well looked after here.” Alison seemed to calm down a bit at the sound of her mother’s voice.

Charlotte was at a loss at what to say initially. The doctors had told her to talk about something familiar, so she started to talk about the family and the time they had spent together at Christmas. It was hard work as Alison was very confused and scared and kept asking the same questions, but Charlotte had resolved to be strong for her. Alison was only able to stay awake for an hour before she needed some more rest. Charlotte’s mum took the opportunity to call her dad and let him know that Alison was awake. Charlotte only wanted to call one person. Remembering his text from earlier, she flicked through her contacts and called Sidney’s number.

Sidney was in a board meeting when his phone rang. Ordinarily, he would have hung up, but noticing it was Charlotte, he knew he had to take the call. He excused himself from the meeting and went outside the boardroom.

_“Charlotte? Is everything OK?”_

_“Alison woke up and… and…”_ Charlotte was getting choked up. A feeling of panic started to rise in Sidney’s chest. _“…it’s really hard.”_ She let the tears fall. Sidney felt completely helpless _. “Sorry… I’m a bit of a wreck.”_

_“You don’t need to apologise.”_

Charlotte attempted to get herself together. _“The doctors warned us she could wake up confused and agitated, but I wasn’t really prepared for it. Apparently it’s completely normal following a head injury and should pass after a few days. But…. oh God Sidney, she looked so scared!”_

 _“I wish I was there with you.”_ He said softly as he started pacing the corridors and running his hands through his hair.

_“No, it’s fine… I’d only be blubbing on you anyway!”_

_“You know what I said about that.”_

_“I know. But it would be nice to actually see you and not cry on you next time! Sorry, you’re working, I should let you go.”_

_“It’s fine, I said you could call me. You have permission to call me whenever you need to OK?”_

_“OK...”_

There was silence for a moment, neither really knowing what to say, but equally not wanting to end the conversation.

_“Charlotte, I know it’s hard, but I’m certain you being there with Alison is helping. It’s alright to be scared and worried, but you’re doing great, OK?”_

_“You think so?”_

_“Yes I do.”_

_“Thanks Sidney. The consultant’s coming to talk to us so I better go.”_

_“Sure. I’ll call later tonight?”_

_“That’d be nice.”_

_“OK. Bye.”_

_“Bye.”_

Charlotte’s phone call with Sidney later that evening was pretty short and sweet as she was exhausted from the day’s events and didn’t have the energy to talk. But it was soothing just to hear his voice. When Sidney hung up the phone, he was restless. If only there was something more he could do? He was never good at stepping back.. He was a doer, he needed to be active. Thoughts and ideas were spinning round in his head. He decided to sleep on it for now and start putting things in place over the coming days.

*********

The next few days were some of the longest and hardest of Charlotte’s life. However, as each day passed they started to see an improvement in Alison’s condition. Charlotte’s dad came down on the Tuesday and brought with him family photos and other familiar objects which really helped keep Alison calm. It was impossible to know at this stage the extent of the cognitive impacts of Alison’s injury were due to the amnesia she was suffering from, but there were some signs of the physical effects. Alison had started having some physiotherapy in the hospital to help strengthen all her limbs following her prolonged sedation, but there were obvious signs of a weakness in her left arm. The doctors had spoken to them about the rehabilitation options. Unfortunately none of the NHS funded ones were ideal from a location perspective, but the private options were well outside the Heywoods’ means.

The Heywoods were living in a sort of bubble, practically living at the hospital and not seeing anyone else as they were too mentally exhausted for socialising. Charlotte knew she ought to catch up with Esther, especially following the drama at the pub, but she initially didn’t have the mental space to deal with someone else’s problems. There was a marked improvement in Alison on Friday, indicating that the period of amnesia was passing. She was much more alert and her memories, both short and long term seemed much more intact, although Alison still could not recall the accident at all. Charlotte felt that she was finally able to breathe again as she caught a glimpse of the sister she knew and loved. With her hope restored, Charlotte decided to catch up with Esther that evening.

Charlotte and Esther met up at the hotel bar for cocktails later that evening. As soon as Charlotte entered the bar, Esther enveloped her in a big hug.

“Charlotte. I’ve been so worried about you! How is Alison doing?” Esther said.

“Much better today thanks. I think she’s turned a corner, thank God! It’s honestly been hardest, most exhausting few days of my life.” Charlotte admitted.

“Oh Char. What a time you’ve had! I’m so pleased things are looking up though. What a relief!”

“Yes. It is, but there is a long way to go. We have to start thinking about Alison’s rehabilitation options, but they are not ideal. Dad’s trying to work out if we can use his private medical insurance to fund a place at a private rehabilitation centre, but the insurers aren’t being particularly helpful. The doctors will keep her on the ward for a couple of weeks yet, but time is ticking to sort it out.” Charlotte explained.

“That sounds stressful.” Esther observed.

“Yes, but the hospital have been so good. And we’ve had a visit from someone from a head injury charity who has been supporting us and helping us look into Alison’s options. Everyone’s been really kind.”

“And what about you? How are you doing?” Esther was worried about her friend.

“I’m OK. Just so exhausted! It’s nice to get out for a bit though.” Charlotte said, taking a sip of her mojito.

“Anyway, enough about me. How have you been? How is Edward?” Charlotte asked nervously.

“Yeah, good on the whole.” Esther did not sound convincing.

“Really?” Esther looked at her drink, unable to meet Charlotte’s eye. “Esther?”

Esther sighed. “Truth is, I’m not sure what’s going on with him. I know he’s keeping something from me. He’s got another week here and then he’s back off to Manchester. I’m hoping he’ll confide in me before then.”

“I’m sure he will.”

“Perhaps…”

“What did he say about the… the pub incident.” Charlotte asked.

“He said it was a one-off.”

“Do you believe him?”

“I dunno… I may have overreacted. I shouldn’t have yelled at George.” Esther felt said meekly.

“Maybe, but I’m sure you’re forgiven. He seems to like you.”

“I don’t know why.”

“I do!”

Esther smiled at her friend. “Have you heard from Sidney?”

Charlotte couldn’t help but smile. “Maybe…”

“And…?”

“Not much to tell really. We talk most nights, he sends sweet texts. He’s just being… lovely. I’m not really sure when I’ll get to see him again. He can’t come to Sanditon this weekend as he has other commitments... I’m also meant to be going back to work on Wednesday. I could extend my compassionate leave, but I kind of feel like I need a bit of “normal” again.”

“That’s understandable.” Esther replied.

“Alison will still have mum here and I can visit at weekends. Doesn’t stop me from feeling guilty about leaving her though.”

Esther gave her a reassuring smile. A member of hotel staff walked up to their table.

“Miss Heywood?” she asked.

“Yes?”

“I’ve been asked to give you this.” The staff member handed over an envelope.

Charlotte looked at Esther, intrigued.

“Thank you.” Charlotte replied. The staff member left.

“What is it?” Esther asked as Charlotte opened it.

“It’s a voucher… for a spa treatment here at the hotel. Two of them… Oh and there’s a note.”

_Thought you and your mum may like a treat. Sidney_

“Oh my God Charlotte - that guy is well and truly smitten with you.” Esther said.

Charlotte blushed. “I’m pretty smitten with him too.”

“I can tell.” They shared a giggle.

Charlotte frowned.

“What is it?” Esther asked.

“Did you… did you read the news article?”

“You mean the one about Lizzie Barnes and Frederick Campion.”

Charlotte nodded “Yes. Did you know she was his ex-fiancée?”

“No. But does it matter? It was five years ago!”

“I guess not. But the article also says he’s been linked to supermodels.”

“Yes, but this was in a newspaper that enjoys writing about gossip, you can’t believe everything it says. And even if it were true, he’s obviously besotted with you now.”

“Maybe.”

“No maybe about it Charlotte Heywood! What’s really troubling you?”

“It’s just… you know… intimidating! To meet someone with those sorts of connections, that history. How can I ever compare to Lizzie Barnes or Thelma Jones?”

“Well… you can’t because you are so very different from them, but in a good way. And I’m sure that’s why Sidney is attracted to you. Have you talked to him about it?”

“A bit, but not in any great detail.” Charlotte admitted.

“Perhaps you should.”

“Perhaps.”

“When you go on your date?” Esther looked at her grinning.

“Yes, whenever that will be.”

“Well, now Alison is awake and doing better, what’s holding you back from fixing a date?”

Charlotte considered this for a moment. “I dunno…”

“Well, think about it Charlotte. You deserve to be happy.”

“I will.” Charlotte replied.

Charlotte returned to the flat after a couple of drinks. Her parents had already gone to bed. She went into her room and got out her phone to send Sidney a text.

_Charlotte: Thank you so much for the spa vouchers._ _😊_ _Really thoughtful. I’ll try and persuade mum to use them this weekend. Alison doing much better today. Seems to have turned a corner. I’ve been thinking… perhaps we can now have that first date? X_

Sidney was out that evening with a client, so didn’t see the text on his phone until a while later. When he received it his stomach flipped. After checking his calendar, he hastily sent a reply.

_Sidney: Next Friday evening? X_

_Charlotte: Perfect. It’s a date. x_


	20. Date Night Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day Sanditon sisters!

Charlotte managed to persuade her mum to have a day off visiting the hospital and join her for a spa session at the hotel on the Saturday. The decision had been made even easier for them by the fact that Alison’s boyfriend, Mark, was now well enough to visit, which was to everyone’s relief as Alison had been most anxious to see him. Mark had travelled down with his parents and they were going to have dinner altogether at the pub later that evening.

The spa at the hotel was divine and just what Charlotte and her mum needed. As soon as Charlotte got in the pool, she could start to feel the tension of the last few days fading away. The hotel had a sauna, steam room and Jacuzzi, all of which were sampled and enjoyed. Charlotte had chosen to use her voucher on a hot stone massage and a pedicure and her mum had opted for a facial and a pedicure too. The treatments were heavenly – so much so that Charlotte fell asleep during her massage.

As Alison was doing so much better, Charlotte decided she was ready to return to work on Wednesday. She bid her farewells to her mum (for her dad had returned to Willingden on the Monday) and to Sanditon, albeit temporarily as the plan was for her to pop down for the day on Sunday to see Alison again. She had to admit she had grown rather fond of the place and would miss watching the sunrise out of French windows, her early morning walks on the beach as well as visiting Sidney’s secret den (which had also become a regular habit).

As soon as she got into the office on the Wednesday morning, Georgie ran up to her and gave her a big hug.

“Oh Char! I’ve missed you.”

“Oh God! What’s happened while I’ve been away?”

“Not like that you numpty! I’ve just missed you being here. Believe it or not, we have been able to survive without you.”

“Of course – didn’t doubt you for a second.”

“Anyway, grab a coffee, catch up on your emails and then I’ll fill you in on everything.”

“Sounds good.”

Charlotte spent the majority of her morning going through the hundreds of emails she’s received in her absence. By the time she’d had a chance to catch up with Georgie on the state of play of all her live matters, it was coming up to lunchtime which gave them the opportunity to talk about certain other live matters…

“Did Otis have a good Christmas in Kenya?” Charlotte asked.

Georgie couldn’t help but smile at the mention of his name. She was like a love sick teenager.

“Yes, he did. And… and when he came back, he asked me to move in with him.” She was smiling widely like a Cheshire cat.

“Oh wow! That’s great. So where are you looking to rent?”

“Clapham. It’s kind of equidistant from both our places of work so should make travelling easier.”

“Oh Clapham is nice. Have you looked at anywhere yet?”

“Not yet, but we’ve got some viewings booked at the weekend.”

“Great.”

“Look, I know you’ve had lots to deal with these past couple of weeks, what with Alison and everything, but I haven’t actually seen you since New Year… What’s been going on with you and Sidney Parker?” Georgie asked.

Charlotte was tucking into her sandwich so she didn’t answer at first. Georgie was looking at her expectantly.

“Charlotte – don’t leave me hanging! Are you going to tell me anything?”

“What do you want to know?” Charlotte said with a playful smile on her face.

“Everything!”

“That may take some time.”

“Well we’ve got another 45 minutes.”

Charlotte sighed. “Very well.”

***********

Friday came around quickly. Charlotte made sure she was able to leave work on time so she could rush home and get ready for her date with Sidney. He’d sent a text to her that morning which read:

_Sidney: I’ll pick you up at 7pm. Don’t eat beforehand, dress warm – no stilettos! x_

If these were clues for their date, they did not give much away, although Charlotte thought it should at least help with her wardrobe choices for the evening. Turns out that this was not the case however. By the time Clara returned from the university, Charlotte had managed to empty the entire contents of her wardrobe on the floor and she was half dressed in an odd assortment of items.

“Charlotte – what the hell is going on?” Clara asked, clearly amused.

“Clara. You’ve got to help me! I’ve no idea what to wear tonight and Sidney will be here in half an hour!”

“Well, first of all, stop panicking! You always look gorgeous in whatever you’re wearing… except perhaps right now. Do you know where you’re going?”

“No… Sidney just said to dress warm. Oh and no stilettos.”

“OK, well that makes shoes easy to decide as you can wear your suede boots. I think jeans. Oh definitely these ones as your arse looks great in these.” She said picking up a pair of black skinny jeans.

“Clara!”

“Well, it does! Oh, and maybe this floaty blouse, it’s pretty and shows off your curves nicely.” Charlotte gave her a look. “Not in a slutty way, in a… feminine way.” You can just wear your thick winter coat over the top.”

“Thanks Clara. God I’m so nervous.”

“I gathered. You really like him huh?”

“Yes. Yes I do.” Charlotte admitted.

Sidney arrived at the flat ten minutes earlier than expected. Clara went to let him in as Charlotte was flapping about trying to tame her hair.

“Sidney. Nice to see you again.” Clara said politely as she let him in.

“Hi Clara.”

“Charlotte’s just getting ready, she won’t be a moment. Come in and take a seat.”

“Thanks.”

Sidney sat down awkwardly in an arm chair while Clara went to check on Charlotte. He couldn’t remember a time where he had been so nervous, let alone the last time he’d had a first date.

Five minutes later and Charlotte made her way timidly downstairs and into the lounge. Unable to tame her hair to her liking, she’d pinned it up in a messy bun.

“Hey.” She said.

Sidney was momentarily lost for words. It was like he had forgotten how beautiful she was. The photo she had sent him, despite being gorgeous, did not do her justice. He got up from his seat and cleared his throat as his mouth had gone dry. “Hi.”

There was silence between them for a moment as they gazed at each other, until Clara interrupted.

“Well, go on then you two…” They smiled shyly at each other. “Have a good night!”

“Bye Clara.”

They left the flat and made their way towards the tube station, the prolonged passage of time without seeing each other causing a slight awkwardness between them.

“So… do I get any clues for what you have planned for tonight?” Charlotte asked, trying to start conversation.

Sidney smiled at her. “I think my text gave enough clues, don’t you?”

“Not really. I was expecting dinner and it’s cold because it’s January. As for no stilettos – you know I can’t walk in them anyway. So if they were clues, I’m none the wiser.” She replied playfully and he chuckled.

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t think too much about it and just trust me.” He looked at her softly and she thought she would melt into a puddle right there and then.

“OK... I’ll try.” She replied.

Sidney reached for her hand instinctively. Charlotte’s heart started racing and her stomach flipped as his fingers closed round hers.

They got off the tube at Waterloo Station and walked along the Southbank promenade, arriving at a swanky tapas restaurant. The waiter took their coats and led them upstairs to a table by the window which had great views of the London landmarks and then left them to look at the menu.

Sidney was watching Charlotte closely. She’d been unusually quiet on the tube – if her phone calls were anything to go by. Perhaps she was feeling nervous. Sidney was also slightly on edge. He did not want to mess this up. Somehow it felt that, unlike their previous encounters, this was a big deal, the official start of something special.

“Wow! That view is stunning.” Charlotte said, staring out of the window. “Have you been here before?”

“Yeah, a few times. The food here is incredible.” Sidney replied.

“Well in that case, I leave it to you to order the best dishes.” Charlotte said leaning back in her seat smiling at him.

“Because you don’t mess around when it comes to food?” Sidney said teasingly.

“Exactly! It drives me crazy when people spend ages trying to decide what to eat. I’m afraid I’m one of those hangry people.”

“That’s good to know. So next time you’re angry – all I need to do is feed you?”

“Pretty much!”

“Sounds simple enough… Although I’ll steer clear of the brown sauce and butter…”

“Only if you’re planning on making me bacon sandwiches.”

They shared a knowing look and smiled.

The waiter came and they ordered drinks and a selection of tapas dishes.

“How’s Alison doing?” Sidney enquired.

“Much better thanks. The doctors are really pleased with her progress, but we’re still looking into rehabilitation options. We’re hoping my Dad’s private medical insurance will come through so she can go to a private clinic in Streatham, but it’s all up in the air at the moment. It would be handy if she got a place there as I could pop in after work.”

“How’s it been back at work?” Sidney asked.

“Oh, OK. There’s something about being back in routine. Its… I dunno, comforting in a way. Although ploughing through the hundreds of emails has not been fun. Work have been great though. Really supportive.”

“That’s good. So how did you get into law anyway? You didn’t fancy staying in the farming business?”

“God no! The early mornings would kill me. Plus we all knew from an early age that the farm was destined to be my brother’s. I only decided to study law cos my tutor was encouraging me to go to uni. Law looked interesting, so that’s what I went for.” Charlotte paused. There was more to the story, but she wondered if she should share it. Sidney could tell she was conflicted.

“What is it?”

“I… I actually nearly didn’t end up practicing law. I had a bit of a shitty time during my second year at uni. I was going to quit at one point.”

“What happened?”

“The sob story probably isn’t one for a first date.” She said embarrassed she’d even brought it up.

“No, I want to know.”

At that moment, the waiter returned with their drinks, which Charlotte was grateful for and she took a big swig of wine. She wasn’t quite sure she wanted to relive those events. But then, Sidney had been there for her through everything that had happened with Alison so far. She was sure she could trust him with this also.

“Charlotte?” Sidney gently urged her.

Charlotte took a deep breath. “My elder brother, Grant, got into some trouble. He… he had a gambling problem and racked up a massive debt. My parents had to sell off half the farm to pay it. They were supporting me financially at uni as the student loan didn’t cover all the fees and living costs. I had to get a part time job to help fund myself when they could no longer afford to help, but I was so stressed having to balance working and studying, plus I was guilty that I was hundreds of miles away and not able to help my family that it all got a bit too much. If wasn’t for Clara and Esther… or James come to that, I probably would have quit.”

“James?” Sidney asked hesitantly.

“My ex.”

Sidney tensed a little when she said that, but he tried to keep his expression neutral.

“Anyway, things calmed down after a few months once the land was sold and Grant had got some help.”

“Sounds tough though.”

“Yeah, it was, but probably not as tough as the last couple of weeks.” Sidney smiled at her sympathetically.

Charlotte looked out the window thoughtfully as Sidney continued to study her. “I never intended to end up in London really, but that’s where the best law jobs are… now here I am!” She turned back to him and smiled shyly.

“What is it you do, like on a daily basis?”

“Mainly drafting contracts. But I also advise on grant funding and competition law.”

“Sounds… interesting.”

Charlotte laughed. “Well, I’m a bit of a nerd, so to me it is.”

“So are you involved much with legals for the Sanditon House Project?”

“A bit. Esther came to me with the work and that’s what landed me my permanent contract at Thornton & Hale, but as the project requires multi-disciplinary advice there are a lot people in the firm working on it. My boss has taken the lead, she deals with Tom.”

“That doesn’t seem fair if you won the work.”

Charlotte shrugged. “It’s the way things work in law firms. I’m a newly qualified lawyer just starting out. The work I win is the firm’s, not mine and my boss involves me when she can, but she has the experience to run a project like this, not me."

"Perhaps, but I think you're underestimating yourself."

"Maybe... Talking about Sanditon House, hasn’t Tom heard from anything about the Lottery Heritage bid yet? They were supposed to get in touch before Christmas.”

“Not that I’m aware of.” Sidney replied.

“Strange, they’re usually good at meeting their timetables.” Charlotte paused. Perhaps now would be a good time to ask the question she really wanted to ask him. “Anyway, enough work talk. There’s… there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you and I just want to get it out the way.”

“OK…” Sidney said, thinking this may be the reason she had been a bit quiet.

“Thelma Jones and Yasmin Flowers?” The cute little crinkle between her eyebrows had appeared and her cheeks were flushed.

“You read the article then?” Sidney took a drink, _God that article was irritating_.

“Yes. I hope that’s OK? You did give me your permission.” Charlotte said, biting her lip, worried she’d done something wrong.

Sidney sighed. “Yes, you’re right I did.”

“So?” Charlotte was looking at Sidney nervously and he could tell she was feeling insecure again.

“Nothing happened with either of them. I was photo’d with them at different parties – parties I hated going to, but work required it. The press came to the wrong conclusions there.”

Charlotte nodded and looked into her drink.

“Charlotte?” Sidney asked softly.

“Sorry. The… the article freaked me out quite a lot. I mean… Christ Sidney, you looked like a Hugo Boss model in that photo! And then you’re linked to all these famous beautiful women and…”

“…and?”

“Sidney – come on! I’m so utterly ordinary compared to them!”

He looked intensely at her. “Well… you see I have to disagree with you there Charlotte Heywood, because you are one of the most extraordinary people I’ve ever met.”

Charlotte’s heart began to race and the butterflies in her stomach returned.

“I am?” She said in disbelief.

“Yes. And you’re beautiful, intelligent, funny and…” he leant slightly closer to her and said in his seductive deep tones “and sexy as hell.” He looked down at his drink, slightly embarrassed he'd said that, before meeting her eyes again.

Charlotte’s eyes widened in surprise, she blushed profusely. No one had ever called her sexy before.

“And I seem to recall that your New Year’s resolution was to stop doubting yourself…”

Charlotte smiled timidly. “Actually, I think you’ll find you made that New Year’s resolution for me. I don’t remember agreeing to it.”

“Hmm.. agree to disagree.” Sidney leant back and took another drink. “And now you’ve got your question out the way, perhaps I can ask mine?” Sidney asked, slightly anxious about her answer.

“OK…Go on.” Charlotte replied apprehensively.

“What happened with James?” His looked turned serious. Part of him wanted to know the answer, and part of him didn’t.

Charlotte smiled. “Oh you have nothing to worry about there.”

Sidney’s expression remained earnest.

“OK, OK…” She said chuckling. “James and I were friends throughout the first year of uni. We got close during the whole family crisis and got together soon after. We were in a relationship for about three years, then it just sort of fizzled out, ran its course. We’re still friends though. He lives in Durham now, with his fiancée. I have an invitation to his wedding in July.”

Sidney smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.

“So… does that mean we’ve cleared the air when it comes to past relationships?” Charlotte asked teasingly taking a sip of her wine.

“I believe so.”

“Good.”

The waiter arrived with their food and they started piling their plates with the different dishes.

“Oh my God, this is so delicious!” Charlotte exclaimed. “You know, I think tapas is my favourite cuisine.”

Sidney smirked at her.

“What?” She asked.

“Well, I had an inclination that may be the case when you wanted me to load your plate with everything at Sunday lunch. It’s nice to meet a fellow foodie.”

“OK Mr Smug. Full points for part one of the date.”

“Part one? Who says there’s a part two?”

“Well if there isn’t a part two, then you won’t score any more points will you?” Charlotte said suggestively.


	21. Date Night Part Two

“So… are you ready for part two of the date now?” Sidney asked, once they had finished dessert.

“Oh, so there is a part two is there?” Charlotte asked playfully.

“Of course. But we’re going have to go back on the tube, if you don’t mind?”

“No, not at all.”

Sidney settled the bill and they made their way downstairs to collect their coats. He took Charlotte’s hand again in his as he led her to back to Waterloo station. Charlotte was still not used to the physical contact. When his fingers closed around hers, she felt like she had been jolted by a bolt of electricity and she almost froze in her tracks. Thankfully, but goodness knows how, her legs didn’t falter and she was able to disguise her momentary paralysis.

They caught the tube to Tower Hill by the Tower of London. Charlotte was still clueless as to what Sidney’s plans were, but she had at least managed to relax now, helped in part by the large glass of wine she’d had with dinner. The Tower of London was all lit up, looking imposing, yet magnificent.

“Right, we’re here.” Sidney said. They’d joined a throng of people around the side of the tower and Charlotte caught a glimpse of what everyone was queuing for.

“Ice skating?” She said smiling, a touch surprised that the ice rink was still open as it was only temporarily installed over the Christmas period. Perhaps this was the last weekend to enjoy it. She’d not been ice skating for years, but it had been something she enjoyed immensely.

“Yup.” Sidney replied, continuing to lead her through the crowds towards the gates. She squeezed his hand, not particularly enjoying the close proximity of all people and he stroked her hand back with his thumb reassuringly, understanding that crowds were not her thing.

“Shouldn’t we join the back of the queue?” She felt uncomfortable barging past everyone.

“No – I’ve got tickets already.” He called back to her. She smiled to herself. Of course he had, was there ever any doubt? It seemed like Sidney had thought of everything. She was incredibly touched by the way he had meticulously planned this date with her in mind. His choice of restaurant was perfect, she thought it was probably one of the best meals she had ever had.

The Tower of London was a beautiful location for the ice rink which they had set up in the moat. There was something really magical and romantic about it. Coloured lights were reflecting off the ice making it sparkle and chilled out music was playing in the background. There were a number of loved up couples already on the ice. Sidney showed the tickets to the person at the gate and they were allowed straight through to pick up their skates.

“Have you been ice skating before?” Sidney asked as they were putting on their skates.

“Not for a couple of years.” Charlotte replied, but she wasn’t nervous. The few times she’d been on the ice she was actually pretty good. She put this down to the fact that she roller-bladed a lot as teenager which required a similar skill set. With skates suitably secured, Sidney helped her onto the ice. She was a bit wobbly at first, but that was probably because of the wine and also the presence of a certain gentleman.

“Have you got your balance?” He asked holding her hands to keep her steady. Charlotte thought this was pretty ironic as it was Sidney that was causing her to lose her balance and not the ice.

“Yes, I’m good thanks.” She replied. Sidney let go of her cautiously.

“So don’t look down, keep looking forwards and bend you knees slightly.” Sidney was advising her.

“Thank you, I know what I’m doing.”

“If you feel like you’re going to fall, bend down into a squatting position.” Sidney kept on with his advice.

“Yes thank you, I know exactly what I’m doing. Now please, I’m concentrating and you’re putting me off.” She said playfully.

“Alright…” He smiled at her, amused by her stubbornness.

She started skating, tentatively at first, with her hands stretched in front of her, but after a couple of minutes, she soon got the hang of the gliding motion and started to become more confident. They started skating round the edge of the ice rink. The feeling of gliding on the ice was both liberating and calming at the same time and the music was helping to instil a sense of serenity in Charlotte she’d not felt in weeks. This was truly a great idea of Sidney’s. As Charlotte’s confidence grew she started attempting some turns and even skating backwards, much to Sidney’s amusement. Yet despite her obviously proficiency on the ice, he still stayed close by her, watching her carefully, ready to catch her if she should begin to fall.

“OK, I think you’ve proven your point now Charlotte Heywood.” Sidney said to her teasingly when she’d managed a particularly impressive turn.

She stopped and turned to face him. “Oh really?” She glided towards him slowly, intentionally failing to stop before reaching him so that she bumped into him gently and he caught her in his arms. She put her hands on his chest and looked up at him as his hands linked round waist. “You were secretly hoping I wouldn’t be very good at this weren’t you?” She asked, a smile on her face and a glint in her eye.

“Maybe…” He replied sheepishly, stirred by the feeling of having her unexpectedly in his arms, her face inches from his.

“So you could hold my hand and lead me round the ice rink? Catch me when I fell?” Charlotte continued, the tone of her voice alluring. He swallowed, looked at her guiltily and nodded. “I’m onto you Sidney Parker.” Her eyes had turned dark and Sidney found it bewitching.

“Is that so?” His heart was racing and his breathing quickened. His eyes kept glancing at her lips, the urge to kiss her strong.

“Uh huh… now… race you to the other side?” Charlotte broke from him suddenly and started racing off, laughing, leaving Sidney standing paralysed for a second or two and giving her a head start.

“Hey!” He shouted as he started sprinting after her, a wide smile on his face. Charlotte was surprisingly quick on the ice, but Sidney had experience and strength on his side. He managed to catch up with her just as she was about to reach the other side, grabbing her from behind which made her squeal, lifting her up and spinning her around, but the motion made him lose his balance and they fell over in a heap. They landed in a rather compromising position which did not go unnoticed by either of them, with Charlotte straddling Sidney as he lay flat on his back on the ice. They looked at each other, flashes of desire in their eyes.

Embarrassed, Charlotte tried to remove herself from him, which was difficult as the blades of her skates had got entangled with his. “Sidney, have you gone completely mad?” She said blushing, still trying to extract herself from him.

“Perhaps it’s the effect you have on me.” He said, an edge of seriousness to his voice. He started to ease himself up on his elbows, which brought him closer to her. Their eyes met again and for a moment they were lost, until he came to his senses and bent over to help untangle the skates. Once disentangled, Sidney got up and helped Charlotte to her feet. “Plus I couldn’t let you get away with that sneaky head start.”

“You’re right, it was very wrong of me to cheat.” She said, feeling rather flustered, still holding onto his arms to steady herself. “How can I make amends?”

“Hmmm…” Sidney thought for a moment then grinned at her. “You can let me hold your hand as I lead you round the ice rink.”

She sighed. “Very well.” She gave Sidney her hand which he lifted to his lips and kissed softly, his eyes locked on hers, which made her take a sharp intake of breath and her heart beat faster, before interlacing his fingers with hers and skating off, pulling her along with him.

“Perhaps we ought not to try any lifts this time though.” Charlotte said meekly.

“I dunno, I rather enjoyed the experience.” He said provocatively, turning to her and giving her a shy guilty smile. Charlotte actually thought her heart had stopped beating for a moment. They skated in silence for a while until a new song started playing. It was Moon River, the Audrey Hepburn version. Charlotte noticed a slight mournful look came over Sidney as it was playing.

“Hey.” She said, tugging him closer to her and bringing him out of his thoughts. He looked over to her. “What is it?”

“Just this song. Reminds me of my mum.” Charlotte brought her other hand to his arm and clung onto him.

“What happened to her?”

“She died ten years ago. Lymphoma. Breakfast at Tiffany’s was one of her favourite movies. We watched it together just before she died.”

“I’m sorry.” Charlotte didn’t really know what else to say. She didn’t know how it felt to lose a parent.

“It was a long time ago now.” Sidney looked out into the distance as they continued to skate around the rink. There was no doubt in his mind that his mother would have loved Charlotte and it made him sad to think they would never meet.

“Were you close?” Charlotte asked.

Sidney nodded. “Yes. I was very much a mummy’s boy. My mum didn’t really want me to go to boarding school, she’d rather I stayed at home, but my father insisted I get the best education.”

“Would you have wanted to stay at home?”

“I dunno really. I had a good time at boarding school. I made some lifelong friends, got good grades which got me into a top uni. I don’t think I would have worked so hard at state school. I needed to be pushed.”

“And what about your father?” Charlotte asked timidly.

“He died three years ago. Heart attack.” He looked at her and could tell she was struggling to know what to say. It wasn’t very often that you’d find someone orphaned at 29 years old these days.

“That’s a lot of shit to deal with for so young a person.” Charlotte finally managed to say.

“True” He said thoughtfully. “Although I’m 30 this year, so not so young.” He smiled at her, which she returned.

“30 is still pretty young. Aren’t you only as old as you feel anyway?”

“Maybe, although sometimes I feel like I’m 29 going on 50!” Sidney admitted.

“I know what you mean.” Charlotte looked at him tenderly and released her hand off his arm, leaving his arm tingling in the spot where it had laid. She pulled him over the side of the rink. She took his other hand in hers as they continued to listen to the song, gazing at each other, their fingers stroking the other’s intimately.

“I’m… I’m having a really lovely time with you.” She said shyly.

Sidney smiled at her. “So does that mean I’ve scored some points for part two of the date?”

She nodded. “Yes... Lots of points.”

“Good.” He barely whispered. Sidney’s fingers were tingling from where Charlotte’s were stroking his. She edged closed to him and Sidney felt his heart may burst out of his chest, until suddenly a voice over the tannoy announced that their skating session was over, dispelling the tension between them. He clenched his jaw to hide his disappointment and they skated back towards the exit to collect their shoes.

Once their shoes were back on, Sidney turned to her and said “Well, we better get going for part three.”

“There’s a part three?” Charlotte said surprised, her eyes wide.

“Oh yes! Come on.”


	22. Date Night Part Three

They left the enchanting ambience of the ice rink and tower and headed west by foot. Sidney was grateful that the weather had held so far as parts two and three of the date were dependent on it being dry. The finale of the date had taken quite a bit of planning. He’d had to call in a few favours, but this was one of the benefits of being well connected in London. He’d promised Charlotte romance, and he thought he was doing OK so far. But the next part of the date was a step above on the romance scale, so he was pretty anxious that it would go right.

Charlotte was feeling intrigued about the third part of their date. She couldn’t fault Sidney’s efforts so far, she was definitely feeling like she was being wooed. The intense moments they’d had on the ice rink were also playing on her mind and she wondered how the night might end, particularly if their previous encounters were anything to go by…

“OK, here we are.” Sidney said nervously. They’d come to a stop next the Monument commemorating the Great Fire of London in 1666. Charlotte looked around her, confused. Were they going into one of the wine bars on the street? Just as she was wondering what was going on, Sidney led her to the entrance of the Monument and knocked on the door. A man opened the door and smiled at them.

“Mr Parker.”

“Good evening Desmond.” The gentlemen exchanged a handshake and a knowingly look. “Thank you for staying late to let us in.”

“It was my pleasure Mr Parker.” Desmond did indeed look delighted to see them.

“This is Charlotte Heywood.” Sidney said, his voice soft when he was saying her name.

“Good evening Miss Heywood. Please come in.” Desmond let them in and shut the door behind them. “Have you been up the Monument before Miss?”

“No I haven’t.” She replied, quite bemused by what was going on.

“Ah well then you are in for a treat. The view from the top, especially at night, is splendid.” He walked them to the foot of the spiral staircase.

Charlotte looked up the middle and gulped. “How many steps are there?” She asked.

“311.”

“Wow. OK, now I understand the _no stilettos_ clue.” She said turning to Sidney, who was watching her intently.

“Good to go?” Sidney asked.

Charlotte nodded. Sidney let Charlotte take the lead and set the pace as the staircase was narrow and had to be taken single file. He followed close behind her and Charlotte was grateful she’d chosen the jeans which Clara said made her arse look good as he was sure to be getting a good view.

“Are you OK? Do want a breather?” Sidney asked about 100 steps in.

She stopped to face him, slightly out of breath, her cheeks flushed by the exercise. “This is hard going after a glass of wine!”

“Sorry… I promise it’ll be worth it at the top.” He was worried he may have misjudged this part.

She smiled at him reassuringly. “I’m sure it will. I’m not averse to a bit of exercise. Shall we press on?” He nodded.

When Charlotte emerged through the doorway at the top of the staircase and onto the viewing platform she gasped, putting her hands over her mouth in complete surprise. She was at a total loss for words, and not just because she was out of breath from climbing over 300 steps! It wasn’t the view that had taken her by surprise, although that was pretty impressive, it was the fact that the railings had been decorated with hundreds of fairy lights which were casting a captivating glow all around her. On the floor was also a trail of battery powered candles lined up along the inside wall of the platform. Charlotte looked behind her at Sidney who was looking at her softly.

“Did you do all of this?” she said, still catching her breath.

“I called in some favours.”

She started walking slowly round the viewing platform, coming to a stop where there were views overlooking the Thames. Two beanbags had been placed in front of the railings for them to sit on and admire the view. Charlotte was feeling completely overwhelmed by it all. She couldn’t imagine the lengths Sidney had gone to bring this about. The view alone from the top of the Monument would have been spectacular, but the lights, the candles, the beanbags, these little touches made it all the more special.

She turned round to face Sidney. “I… I honestly don’t know what to say right now.”

“In a good way?” He asked apprehensively.

“Yes of course in a good way!” She looked around her again, taking it all in, this time spotting two travel mugs on the floor next the beanbags. Sidney saw her glance at them and went to pick them up.

“Figured it might be cold up here.” He said hesitantly, handing her one of the mugs.

“Did you?” She said, amused.

“Yup. This is the best hot chocolate in London.”

Charlotte took a sip. He was right, the hot chocolate was divine. She shook her head at him. “I can’t believe this is happening right now.”

Sidney was smiling at her gently. “Wanna take a seat?” He asked.

“Sure.”

They plonked themselves into the beanbags and gazed out across the Thames, sipping their hot chocolates.

“So, how many favours did you have to call in exactly to bring this about?”

“A lot!” He admitted. “Sometimes it pays to mingle in London society.”

“Clearly.”

"I was a bit worried you may be scared of heights."

She smiled at him "Yes. You took a bit of a gamble there, but lucky for you I am not!” She paused before continuing. “God the views from up here are stunning! You know, I had no idea you could come up here, despite living in London for the past three years.”

“Well then, maybe I can show you some more of London’s secrets on our second date?” He teased.

“Now now Sidney Parker, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” She smirked at him.

“I thought that was the purpose of the date points – getting a second date? Are you telling me that that I don’t any points for part three?”

She smiled at him. “It’s too early for awarding points. Ask me again after I’ve finished my hot chocolate.”

“Very well.”

Charlotte turned to admire the view. Sidney watched her intently, drinking her in. Could she tell after all of tonight’s antics that he was in love with her? He knew it was way too early to say anything and the absolute last thing he wanted was to scare her off, so instead of telling her, he had resigned himself to showing her. He’d fallen in love before, with Lizzie, and that time too it had been fast and intense – it seemed it was an element of his nature to fall hard, fast and deep and that was part of the reason he had been so guarded for the past five years. It surprised him at how easily he had let Charlotte in to his heart and now that she was there, he couldn’t let her go.

Charlotte didn’t really know what she had expected from her date with Sidney Parker, but it certainly wasn’t anything like this! If she was honest with herself, she was frightened. Frightened because she knew she was very much in danger of falling head over heels in love with him and she didn’t know if she was ready for it. The speed at which she was falling was overwhelming – she had no idea it was possible to feel so deeply about someone she’d only met a couple of weeks ago. Her heart was ready to dive right in, but her head was keeping her back, creating doubts as to the authenticity of her affections and his.

Could the intensity of her feelings for him be due to her current circumstances? Had the trauma of Alison’s accident left her open, vulnerable and wanting to be cared for? Perhaps Sidney’s own feelings were also influenced by these circumstances too. Was he just guilty she had received the news about Alison on his watch? Because this was Sidney Parker we were talking about! A guy who was able to call in favours to arrange for an intimate rendezvous on top of a London landmark. A guy who could have any girl he wanted, yet chose to be with her! His choice made no sense to her at all, despite his attempts at reassuring her... But hadn’t everything he’d planned tonight demonstrated that he did have genuine feelings for her? Her heart began to race at the thought. Could he possibly be falling in love with her too?

Charlotte finished her hot chocolate and her musings and turned to him. “You know, tonight’s been pretty perfect… you… you must kinda like me huh?” She asked shyly. His eyes were dark and piercing and drawing her in. Her mind was beginning to empty of all thoughts apart from him.

“Maybe a little.” He moved his face closer to her, slowly closing the gap between them and gently pressed his lips against hers in a soft chaste kiss. He pulled away again, but left his forehead touching hers, their noses grazing.

“Only a little?” She asked a slight edge of disappointment in her voice.

Sidney clenched his jaw. Could she not see how much stronger his feelings were for her? “No… a lot… I’m… I’m f***ing crazy about you.”

His voice was deep, seductive and full of emotion and Charlotte was lost. She tilted her head and unwaveringly planted her lips on his for a second time. She kissed him eagerly, sliding her tongue into his mouth and reaching for his coat lapels to pull him closer to her as she sank back into the beanbag. The desire that was flowing through her whole being banishing the thoughts and doubts that had just been inside her head.

Sidney placed his hand on her hip and then ran it down her thigh to hitch her leg over his waist which made her moan. She moved her hands up to caress his face as he slid his hand up her leg and cupped her bum to press her closer to him. He slowly moved his hand to the base of her jeans where her coat and blouse had ridden up and her skin was exposed. The touch of his hands on her bare skin made her gasp as he started stroking her lower back with his fingers. The feel of her skin and her reaction to his touch heighted Sidney’s desire for her and he rolled over onto her. His mouth left hers as he planted lingering kisses over her jaw and then her neck. His hand was stroking her bare stomach and slowly inching itself higher up her body under her clothes.

A gust of wind blew and Charlotte shivered, although this could have been due to the touch of his kisses and his hands on her. Sidney suddenly became aware of where they were and tried to regain control of himself. He tore his lips from Charlotte’s neck and returned them to her lips for a tender kiss before propping himself up over her, resting his forehead on hers. He removed his hand from under her clothes, brought it to her face to touch her cheek in an attempt to calm himself down. They stayed like this for a few moments, their eyes closed, enjoying the closeness of one another.

“So… as we’re doing things properly, can I ask you something?” Charlotte whispered breathlessly, her eyes still closed, her fingers laced in his hair.

“Yes.” He whispered back.

“Is it proper for me to come back to your place after the first date?” They both opened their eyes to look at each other – their longing for the other evident. Sidney paused for a moment, still trying to catch his breath. “I think that would be entirely proper.” He said. He rolled off her and tried to collect himself. Once Sidney had calmed down, they got up and he led Charlotte back down the 311 steps to find a taxi.


	23. Bad timing

Charlotte was experiencing a severe case of Déjà vu as she recalled a similar taxi journey with the same gentleman sitting next to her a little over two weeks ago. If possible, she thought she was more nervous about this encounter than the previous one. She felt like sleeping with Sidney would signify something far greater this time than the time before and Charlotte wondered if Sidney felt the same way. Yes, she was terrified by the speed and intensity with which her relationship with Sidney was going, but at this moment in time she wanted him, all of him – heart, mind, soul… and body. Sidney was sat close to her in the taxi, his hand on her inner thigh, stroking it absentmindedly every so often which made her heart beat faster and Charlotte wondered how much farther was it to his penthouse apartment.

A buzzing sound could suddenly be heard coming from Charlotte’s bag. Someone was calling her mobile. It stopped after a while, but then started again. Charlotte took out her phone and looked at it. It was an unknown number. Given the lateness of the hour, she thought it must be a prank caller.

“Sorry, I’ll switch it off.” She said apologetically, about to hang up, but Sidney stopped her.

“No, you should take it, what if it’s your mum?” A flash of panic crossed Charlotte’s face.

She tentatively answered the phone. “Hello? Mum! Why are you calling so late?” There was a long pause. Sidney tensed. He knew a phone call at this late hour was not a good sign. Charlotte was getting paler and her chest was heaving as if trying to control her emotions. “OK, OK, I’ll try and get there as soon as I can. I’ll text you when I’m on my way.” Charlotte hung up the phone.

“What’s happened?” Sidney asked anxiously.

“Alison’s gone downhill. Apparently she has a chest infection, they’ve only just picked it up and now they’re worried she may have sepsis. She’s been moved to intensive care.” Charlotte’s voice was unnaturally calm, but her hands were shaking.

Sidney took her hands in his to try and steady them. “OK, well let’s pick up my car from my flat, go back to your place and get your things and then I’ll drive you to the hospital.”

Charlotte nodded, she couldn’t think straight.

****************

They picked up some of Sidney’s things at his apartment and got into his Tesla. After stopping at Charlotte’s flat to pack a bag (Sidney explaining to Clara what had happened) they headed off to Lewes Hospital. It was a long two and half hour journey to Lewes during which neither of them said much. Sidney ended up sticking on one of his Spotify playlists. In any other situation, Charlotte would have been intrigued to know what was playing but she couldn’t pay attention to what they were listening to due to the million and one thoughts going through her head. Every so often her emotions would get the better of her and she would shed a tear. Whenever Sidney noticed this, he would reach and put his hand on her leg, a silent way of telling her he was there for her, which would make her shed even more tears.

The most ubiquitous feeling that was pulsing through Charlotte’s body was guilt. Guilt that she was galivanting round London with Sidney while Alison was critically ill. Guilt that she wasn’t there when Alison needed her the most – for she could have travelled up tonight rather than wait for Sunday, but she delayed it because of her date with Sidney. Guilt that she had allowed herself to be distracted from focussing her efforts on Alison’s recovery and instead just seeking to gratify her own wants and desires for a guy she had only met two weeks ago. Guilt that what she was feeling for Sidney had pervaded her mind, her heart, her very being when she should have been concentrating on Alison.

And then there was fear - that she would get to Alison too late, for she knew the serious nature of sepsis; regret – at how little she had shared with her sister since the accident when they always shared everything and it may now be too late; awkwardness - at how she would explain Sidney being the one to bring her here at this time of night combined with worry about how her parents would feel about it. So many emotions, she thought she may actually combust!

Sidney kept glancing at Charlotte. He was really worried about her. Every time he tried to start a conversation, she wouldn’t really engage. It was like she had shut herself off to him and it unnerved him. He hoped that it was just the shock of what had happened and that she would open up to him later. He knew he would need to be patient with her, but he could feel that the phone call had shifted something between them.

When Charlotte and Sidney arrived at the hospital, they went straight to the reception desk at ICU. Sidney waited in the reception area while Charlotte went to see Alison.

“Mum!” Charlotte ran up to her mum and gave her a hug, sobbing. “I’m so sorry.”

“Oh Charlotte. What have you got to be sorry for?” Her mum replied, also shedding some tears.

“I wasn’t here!”

“You’re here now.” They held each other for a while.

Eventually Charlotte drew back from her mother and looked over to Alison. She looked really poorly. Charlotte walked over to her and sat down next to her, holding her hand. “What have the doctors’ said?” She asked anxiously, wiping away her tears with her hands.

“Well she wasn’t responding to the first type of antibiotics, so they’re trying a different one. We’ll know more in the next couple of hours.”

Charlotte nodded. “Where’s dad?”

“He was driving me crazy as he couldn’t keep still so I sent him out to get some fresh air.”

“Who’s watching the rest of the clan at home?”

“Grant and Sarah. Your father was going to travel with them here tomorrow, but… well… things changed. He arrived a couple of hours ago. How did you get here?” Jane asked.

“Sidney brought me.”

“Sidney?” Jane was surprised.

Charlotte looked her guiltily. “Yes, he’s in reception.” Then Charlotte burst into tears again.

“Charlotte – what’s the matter?” Jane said coming over to her and putting her arm around her.

“Oh Mum! Everything’s so confusing. I’m such a mess.”

*************

Half an hour later, Charlotte went back into reception to see Sidney. She walked up to him, her arms folded, her eyes red from crying. Sidney got up from his seat and walked over to her.

“How’s she doing?”

“Not good. They’re waiting to see if she’ll start responding to the antibiotics.” Charlotte would not meet his eye when she spoke to him. He took her in his arms. She kept her arms folded at first, but eventually she couldn’t resist melting into his embrace and clung to him tightly. She leant her head against Sidney’s chest. He kissed her head affectionately, and she closed her eyes, a tear or two falling from down her cheeks. He let her go after a couple of minutes which gave Charlotte the time to compose herself.

“Look, I could be here a while. You don’t have to stay with me. Why don’t you and get some sleep and we’ll talk in the morning?” Charlotte finally had the courage to look him in the eye.

“Are you sure? I don’t mind staying.” He said reaching his hand to wipe away her tears and leaving it on her cheek.

“No it’s fine. My Mum and Dad are here.”

“OK, I’ll get a room at the hotel. But you’ll call or text me to let me know what’s happening?”

“Yes. Thank you for bringing me here.”

Sidney nodded in acknowledgment. He drew his head towards her and kissed her softly. He reluctantly left her, turning back to look at her as he went through the doors to the corridor. As soon as he was gone, Charlotte started to cry again. This was going to be harder than she thought.

*********

Sidney had got a late room in the Northanger Hotel that night, as he didn’t want to bother Tom and Mary at Trafalgar House. He’d had a really restless night’s sleep. He kept thinking his phone was going off, but when he went to look at it, there was nothing there. In the end he decided to put it on silent as it was not like he could do anything at this hour anyway even if Charlotte had contacted him. But even with the phone on silent he had still slept fretfully.

As he didn’t fall asleep until a ridiculous hour that night, he ended up waking up late on Saturday morning, and had missed breakfast. He cursed as he looked at his phone and realised he had a message from Charlotte a few hours ago. 

_Charlotte: Alison responding to treatment. Doctors are positive. Just got back to the flat for some sleep. Meet you this afternoon? x_

He hastily wrote a reply.

_Sidney: Sure. I’ll call on you later. Sleep well. Xx_

Sidney managed to persuade the hotel staff to bring some food up to his room (one of the privileges of being part owner). After he had finished his breakfast, he paid a surprise visit to Trafalgar House, much to the delight of his nieces and nephews who once again made him watch Frozen!

He went to call on Charlotte around 3pm. She answered the door, dressed up in her coat and hat.

“Hey. Wanna go for a walk?” She asked shyly. He could tell she was nervous which made him anxious.

“Sure.” He said, attempting a reassuring smile, but inside his heart was beating fast against his chest.

“What’s happening with Alison?”

“They think she’s out of danger now. They recognised the signs of sepsis fairly early, but needed to take extra precautions because of her brain injury. They’re hopeful she’ll only be in ICU for a couple more days.”

“That’s good.”

Charlotte nodded but she did not meet his eyes and she kept her hands hidden from Sidney’s in her coat pockets

They made their way to the beach, which was pretty much deserted apart from the odd dog walker. After a while of walking in silence, Sidney braved to ask the question he was fearing her answer to.

Charlotte? Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” He asked hesitantly.

Charlotte stopped and turned to him. Her eyes were shining with uncertainty and doubt, her gaze fixed at a point over his shoulder. She had rehearsed this in her head, but now that Sidney was standing in front of her she was feeling less sure of herself as his presence had such an overwhelming effect on her. She took a deep breath.

“Sidney… I… I can’t do this right now.” She said, looking down at the feet, worried that if she were to look into his eyes she would change her mind.

“What do you mean?” He asked anxiously.

“I mean… whatever this is between us. I can’t do it. It’s all too fast, too soon. I’m not ready.” She braved herself to meet his gaze. “Alison needs me right now.”

“What if I want to be here for you?” His voice was earnest and for a moment she faltered.

“Sidney… When Alison needed me most I wasn’t there! Both times she needed me I was with you, whether in your bed, or about to be. Can you imagine the guilt I’m feeling right now?” Tears were welling up in eyes, she looked out to sea, afraid to turn to him for fear she would not be able to stop the tears from falling.

Sidney stepped closer to her. “What’s happening with Alison is not your fault.”

She looked at her feet. “No, you’re right. But my head is all over the place. I need some… time… some… space to figure it all out.”

“Then I’ll wait. I’ll wait until you’re ready.” He reached for her hand, but she pulled it away. She knew that if he touched her she would not be able to resist him.

“No, Sidney, I can’t ask that of you.” It didn’t make sense for him to wait for her.

“That’s not your choice to make.” He replied stubbornly, hurt that she had flinched away from him.

She mustered the courage to look at him again. “Sidney. Please! This is the second time this has happened to us. Don’t you think fate is trying to tell us something?” Her eyes were wide and shining with tears and Sidney could tell she was afraid.

“I don’t believe in fate. I believe in making our own choices. And I’m choosing not to give up on this. On us.” His was starting to raise his voice, his emotions getting the better of him.

Charlotte folded her arms around herself and shook her head, sucking on her bottom lip to stop herself from crying. Sidney took a step closer to her and put his hands on her arms, rubbing them gently, willing her to look at him. She closed her eyes at his touch, her body fighting to reach out to him, but her head holding her back. “Charlotte, if you want some space, I’ll give you space. But I don’t want to…” He clenched his jaw, struggling to control his emotions again. “I can’t just walk away from this. I know what I want, and I want you.”

“Sidney, we’ve only known each other two weeks! We met through a chance encounter. How can you know that is what you want?”

“Sometimes all it takes is a chance encounter.”

 _God he was making this so hard_. “Please, Sidney. Don’t make this any harder than it is. I’ve made up my mind… The last thing I want right now is a boyfriend.”

That stung. That stung a lot. Sidney took a step back, releasing his arms from hers, feeling dejected.

“Right.”

“I’m sorry.” Tears were falling down her face now. She knew she had hurt him. It was the last thing she wanted to do, but he deserved to know the truth.

There was silence between them while Sidney was processing what Charlotte was saying. Eventually he sighed and said. “If that is where you’re at right now, then I will respect that. I’ll back off. But can I at least keep in touch with you? As a friend?”

Sidney had caught Charlotte off guard. She wasn’t expecting that. “Do you think that’s possible between us?” She asked.

“I dunno. But can we give it a try?”

“I’m not sure…”

“Please.” He interrupted her.

Charlotte hesitated. Sidney’s eyes were piercing hers, almost pleading with her and in that moment it was impossible to refuse him anything. “OK.” Sidney smiled at her, although the smiled did not reach his eyes.

“Do you mind if I go off on my own for a bit?” Sidney asked.

“No, of course.”

“I’ll… I’ll catch up with you later?”

Charlotte nodded.

Sidney walked off down the beach towards his den, leaving Charlotte behind and, if possible, feeling even more terrible. Once in his den, Sidney sat down on a tree stump and rested his chin on his hands wistfully as he watched a light breeze blow the cyclamen which still carpeted the floor. Yes he was hurt about what Charlotte had said, but he could understand that she was scared about her sister and probably confused about everything that had happened between them. No he wasn’t angry with her. He was frustrated. Frustrated that Charlotte wouldn’t let him be there for her, that she was pushing him away when everything within him was yearning to be close to her.

He was trying not to let the “what if” question fill his head, but it was impossible not to imagine where things may be with Charlotte if Alison had never had her accident. Wasn’t this really just an issue of really bad timing? And if it was, then he would wait. He was not going to let her go that easily, but he needed to respect the fact she wanted to step things back. So he would give her the time and space that she needed. He knew he was being selfish by asking her to be friends, because in truth, it was an excuse to be able to stay close to her somehow and hopefully at some point convince her to be so much more. But he would at least try and be a good friend to her, because she deserved that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “My characters shall have, after a little trouble, all that they desire.”


	24. Mr Bloody Perfect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hoping you aren't all hating me too much following the last Chapter! But this is Sidlotte we're talking about, so there needs to be a bit of drama and angst... Lots more to come, so do not despair!

When Sidney returned to Trafalgar House later on Saturday afternoon, he was in a despondent mood which did not go unnoticed by Mary, but did by Tom! He played faithfully with the children, but Mary could tell his mind was preoccupied and he wasn’t fully engaged. When the time came for Sidney to read them a bedtime story – and they picked the Gruffalo – his heart was not in it and he asked if he could read something else. Once the children were tucked up in bed, he returned downstairs and helped himself to a beer from the fridge before settling down in an arm chair in the lounge.

“Sidney – is everything alright?” Mary asked. Sidney smiled at her and nodded unconvincingly. “How’s Charlotte?”

“As expected. Worried about her sister.” He replied numbly.

Mary could tell there was more to it and she wondered if now was the time to broach the subject. Mary was incredibly fond of her brother-in-law and longed to see him happy and settled. She decided to make the most this opportunity of being alone with him while Tom was busy to probe a little further.

“You can tell me to mind my own business if you like, but is there something going on between you and Charlotte?” Mary asked hesitantly.

Sidney didn’t answer at first, but fiddled with his beer bottle. “I’d like there to be… but the timing’s pretty bad.” He took swig from his bottle.

“Yes. The circumstances are… sensitive.” Mary agreed. “I suspected something was going on when you sorted out the flat for her family. And Rachel told me about the spa voucher.” Sidney looked at her guiltily. “And then you’ve arrived with her late last night …”

Sidney sighed. Mary might as well know the truth of it. “Yes, she got the phone call about Alison last night while we were on our first date.”

“Ah I see. That’s… unfortunate.”

“Yes, well it’s the second time Charlotte’s received bad news while she’s been with me. She thinks it’s a bad omen… Maybe it is.” He took another sip of beer.

“I don’t believe that! I’m sure Charlotte doesn’t either. She just must be feeling quite overwhelmed with everything right now.” Sidney nodded. “You’re quite clearly besotted with her aren’t you?” Sidney didn’t respond, but kept looking at his beer bottle, which Mary took as a yes. “Does Charlotte feel the same way?”

Sidney thought for a moment, their kiss on top of the Monument playing on his mind, the way she responded when he confessed he was crazy about her. “I think so. But she wants some space.”

“I suppose that’s understandable given all that is happening.”

“Yes, I suppose. It sucks though.” He drank again.

Mary studied him. She knew Sidney to be an active person, not one to sit back and do nothing. He would not do well being patient and giving Charlotte the space she wanted. “So you’re just going to sit here moping about it?” Mary asked, an edge of frustration in her voice.

Sidney looked at her indignantly. “I don’t see what else I can do! She doesn’t want me here Mary.”

“Sidney, I know you. You’re not one for giving up so easily. There must be something you can do?” Sidney shook his head. “Sidney Parker, look at me.” Sidney turned his gaze to Mary, feeling like a naughty school child. “I saw you and Charlotte together. There is something special between you two, I could feel it. You’ve kept your heart guarded for so long after everything that happened with Lizzie. My God, that woman nearly broke you, but you cannot continue to close yourself off to the world. You deserve happiness in life and sometimes that means taking a risk. If you think you can find happiness with Charlotte, then you must do all you can to secure it.”

Tom walked into the lounge, concluding their conversation. Sidney was still looking at Mary, slightly surprised by her emotional outburst, and also touched by her concern for him. Was there something he could do to show Charlotte how he felt whilst also giving her the space she wanted?

“Ah Sidney. I have to say, it’s good having you here more often. Perhaps I could just run something past you?”

“Tom, leave Sidney alone, he’s had a long day.” Mary said sternly.

“Very well. Very well. Tomorrow then?” He looked at Sidney hopefully.

“Yes of course Tom, tomorrow. But I will need to leave after lunch.” Sidney replied.

“Ah OK. Great.”

*********************

Edward’s annual leave was at an end and he was due to catch a train later on Sunday afternoon. Esther had enjoyed having him around and she realised that she would miss his company. After the incident at the pub he seemed to be back to his old self. Whilst it was hard to spend quality time together, given Esther’s preoccupation with the Sanditon House Project, they had managed to have a couple of day trips out to various places around the area which was nice, and in the evenings they played board games and watched movies. Edward even helped out a bit with aspects of the project. He had some excellent ideas for furnishing the remaining rooms. And so Sunday afternoon finally came, and Edward was preparing to return back to Manchester.

“Edward, what time’s your train again?” She said while looking at train times on her phone.

“Umm… 2pm?” Edward called back from his bedroom while he was packing his things.

“Are you sure? It says there isn’t a train to Manchester until 3.30 and it doesn’t get in until 11pm?” Esther asked him.

“OK, must be that one.” _Typical Edward being so disorganised._

“Really? Why did you book such a late train?”

“Didn’t really think about it.” Edward said coming out of his room. _Oh course he didn’t._

“Right. I do despair at you sometimes.” She said rolling her eyes at him.

“Ah – but you’ll miss me.” He said with a wink.

“Yes, I will. It’s been nice having you around.”

Edward hesitated. “Well… maybe I could stay a bit longer…”

Esther was confused. “Don’t you have to be back at work?” Edward shrugged uncomfortably. “Edward. What’s going on? There’s something you’re not telling me.”

Edward paused as Esther stared him down. He’d been putting it off, but now there was no choice but to tell her. “I… erm… I lost my job.”

“What the f***!” Edward looked at her contritely. “Why are you only telling me this now? Didn’t you think you should have let me know when you got here? Why keep up the pretence that you were going back today?”

“I was embarrassed Esther.” Edward looked down to his feet.

“Edward, what the hell?! I’m your sister…”

“Step-sister.” Edward corrected her.

 _Well that was unnecessary_ Esther thought. “Does it make a difference? I thought we’d got past all the lies and games?”

“We have Esther. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I… I couldn’t bear you thinking that I’m a failure.”

She walked up to him and took his hand. “I have never thought that of you Edward. If you need to stay a bit longer to sort yourself out that’s fine. But please, be honest with me.”

“OK. I will… Thanks.”

“You can start by telling me how you lost your job.”

Edward looked awkwardly at her and let go of her hand. He turned away from her. “There… there was an incident.”

“What sort of incident?”

“I… I was caught smoking pot with a resident... A female resident.”

“Shit Edward! What have you done?” It was worse than she thought.

“I know, I’m a f****ing idiot.”

“Yes you are! And have you thought what you’re going to do next?”

“I’m still figuring that out.”

“Perhaps you can start by getting some help with your drug problem.” She said harshly, but she was angry at him for lying to her.

“Esther, I don’t have a drug problem.”

Esther was despairing at his sense of denial. “I don’t believe you! Tomorrow, we will try and sort something out for you.”

“Esther…”

“No Edward. If you want to stay here, you need to clean up you act… Right. I’m going for a walk…” Edward went to get up. “…alone.” She was looking daggers at him.

**************

Esther went round to Charlotte’s flat that evening for a catch up while Charlotte’s parents were at the pub for a welcome night off. Esther had not seen Charlotte since Alison’s admission to ICU and was particularly concerned about Charlotte’s melancholy mood. After making a cup of tea, they sat down at the kitchen table.

“Did Edward get off OK?” Charlotte asked. She wondered whether she would be able to steer the conversation away from Sidney for she didn’t know if she was up for talking about him.

“Well, no. Turns out he’s staying a bit longer. He… erm… lost his job.”

“Oh no. How did that happen?”

Esther sighed. “Apparently he was caught smoking cannabis with a resident.”

“F***!”.

“Exactly. God knows what I’m going to do with him! I’ve told him he’ll need to get some help if he wants to stay here, but I’ve no idea where to start looking.”

“You should ask Sidney.” _Shit, she didn’t meant to bring him up._

“Sidney?”

Charlotte gulped down a particularly painful mouthful of tea. “Yes… he… he handled Edward very well during the pub episode. He seemed to know what he was doing. Per… Perhaps he knows how these things work.” Charlotte wasn’t sure she had Sidney’s permission to reveal the extent of his experience.

“OK. Well could you ask him for me, seeing as you two are dating?” Esther said smiling at her. Charlotte didn’t meet her eyes but stared at her tea.

“Oh… we’re not.”

“You’re not?” Esther said disbelievingly.

“No. I… I called it off.”

“Why? Was the first date that bad?”

“No… it was… the date was perfect.” The date seemed like weeks ago, even though it had only a couple of days.

“Then why did you call it off?” Esther was confused.

“Because… because it was all too much too soon.” Charlotte looked at her. “I need to focus on Alison’s recovery right now. I can’t afford to be distracted by a guy I’ve only just met, even if…” She paused.

“Even if?”

Charlotte sighed. “Even if he is the most wonderful person I’ve ever met.”

“Well if that’s the case, call him, tell him you’ve changed your mind.” Esther was gobsmacked. What was Charlotte doing?

“No. I can’t do that Esther.”

“Why not?”

“Because this isn’t about him, it is about me!”

“Oh you’re using that as an excuse are you?”

Charlotte was getting angry. “Esther, you have no idea what I’ve had to deal with these past couple of weeks! The guilt, the fear, the anxiety. He may be Mr Bloody Perfect, but I’m not. I’m a complete mess.”

“I’m sorry Char, I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s just, you two seemed so good together.”

“I know, I’m sorry too. It’s just not the right time.”

Esther didn’t know what to say. She thought Charlotte was making a big mistake, but she was being so stubborn.

“I… I was on my way to his apartment when my Mum rang.” Charlotte confessed.

“You were?” Esther said, surprised.

Charlotte smiled shyly. “Yes. Up until that point, it was probably the best night of my life.” She said, looking out the French doors and recalling a similar statement being made by another person a couple of weeks ago.

“Then I can’t understand why you are ending it… Are you sure you won’t change your mind and call him?”

“No. It’s done now.” Charlotte said with sad acceptance.

“Very well. But I think you’re making a terrible mistake…. Now, you must at least give me all the details of the date.”

*************

Alison left ICU after a couple of days and was back on the neurology ward. She’d responded well to the antibiotics and her energy levels were returning. The doctors thought she was making good progress and were keen for her to move on to a rehabilitation centre. More good news followed when Charlotte’s Dad finally got word from his private medical insurers on Wednesday that they would fund Alison’s place in the Streatham rehabilitation clinic.

Charlotte returned to work the following week and Alison settled into the rehabilitation centre the week after. It was such a relief to have Alison so near to her so that she could go and visit her after work. Charlotte was trying really hard to put Sidney from her mind, but he kept invading her thoughts. She’d not heard from him at all since their conversation on the beach. He was being as good as his word about backing off. Charlotte thought it would be easier with him at a distance, but in truth she was thinking of him even more than she had before. Even in his absence he was ubiquitous, pervading her mind and causing her body to react to memories of him which made her feel guilty again.

Charlotte threw herself into her work as a way to distract herself, resolving that if she kept busy, she would not have the time to think of him. It was fine in the day time, but at night she would be awake for hours recalling the times they spent together. She missed him so bad that her stomach would cramp when she thought of him. But she had made her bed and now she had to lie in it.


	25. Tom's blunder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly updated - thanks to TofuQueen for the legal advice!

**Thursday 13 th February 2020**

“What the f*** Tom!” Esther roared.

“Esther, don’t worry, it was a minor mishap.” Tom replied, cowering.

“Minor? I don’t call £400,000 minor!”

“It’ll be fine, I’ll just write to them and tell them about the… erm… error. I’m sure it’ll all work out.”

“What’s going on here?” Mary walked into the room, concerned about the commotion in Tom’s study.

Esther was furious, but when seeing Mary, she remembered her manners. “Mary. Sorry for the outburst, but you’re husband here forgot to submit the full application for the Lottery money.” She said through gritted teeth.

“Tom?” Mary looked at him shocked.

“Just an administrative error Mary, nothing to worry about.” Tom was in complete denial about the seriousness of his mistake.

“It is something to worry about! The application documents were clear on the deadlines. How on earth are we going to raise £400,000 in time for the launch?” Esther rubbed her forehead. How could this have happened? Tom was silent. “Right, I need to call Charlotte”. Esther made to make her way out the door.

“Esther, wait a minute.” Mary said. Esther stopped in her tracks. “I know you are angry, and you have every right to be, but you can’t just go off in different directions. You are still business partners and you need to work out a coordinated approach. And someone should call Sidney.”

“Sidney?” Esther asked.

“Yes, he’s well connected, he may know of some fund or something. I don’t know.”

“Yes, that’s true. He may know of something.” Tom added.

“Fine, but I am calling Charlotte first.” Esther took out her mobile and went into the dining room.

_“Charlotte Heywood.”_

_“Charlotte? It’s Esther.”_

_“Esther? How can I help?”_

_“The shit has really hit the fan. Tom has only gone and forgotten to submit the bloody Lottery application.”_

_“What? Are you sure?”_

_“Yes, we’re sure. The email was still unsent in his drafts folder.”_

_“Oh no!”_

_“That’s a pretty restrained reaction! He just got an ear full from me. He reckons we can just phone the Lottery and tell them it’s an administrative error. Is that right?”_

_“I doubt it very much. They are very strict on their deadlines. If it’s your error, then there’s not much we can do.”_

_“F***! What the hell are we going to do now we have a £400,000 shortfall?”_

_“Have you spoken to your financial advisers or accountants?”_

_“Not yet”_

_“Well, I would get them on the case to look at alternative avenues of funding. We’ll have a look too, but obviously we’re lawyers so this is outside our area of expertise.”_

_“OK.”_

_“We’ll also review the terms of your other funding and check if there are any ramifications because I seem to recall your grant from the National Heritage Trust being conditional on receipt of the Lottery funding.”_

_“Oh shit – really?”_

_“Yes, but don’t panic! I need to look at the full terms and conditions. It’s pretty common for a grant not to pay out until the project is fully funded. If you can find the money somewhere else, it should be OK. Let’s keep positive. As this is time sensitive, how about we set up a meeting for tomorrow morning, here at the office with your accountants and go through the options?”_

_“Great, that works.”_

_“Good. Is there anyone else you want to invite to the meeting?”_

_“I expect Tom will want Sidney there.”_

_“Sidney?”_

_“Yes. Is that OK?”_

_“Of course. I’ll get everything set up from our end. And Esther.”_

_“Yes?”_

_“It’ll be OK.”_

_“OK. Thanks Charlotte. See you tomorrow.”_

_“Bye.”_

Esther hung up the phone and then returned to Tom.

“OK, so Charlotte is pretty sure we’re not going to get anywhere with the Lottery seeing as it was our fault for missing the deadline. Plus she said there may be ramifications with our other funding, like the National Heritage Trust if we can’t show the project is fully funded.”

“Really?” Tom asked incredulously. Esther chose to ignore that comment. If he didn’t know the terms and conditions of the grant then he was more useless than she thought.

“We need to get in touch with our accountants to get them looking into alternative avenues of funding. And Charlotte’s setting up a meeting tomorrow morning for everyone to attend. Can you sort that?” Esther asked Tom.

“Yes, fine. I’ll phone Sidney now and see if he can make it too.”

Sidney was having lunch with Babington when his phone went off.

_“Tom?”_

_“Sidney. I hope now is a good time?”_

_“Well, I’m at lunch, but I guess now is as good a time as any. Fire away.”_

_“There’s been a bit of a blunder…”_

_“Go on…”_

_“The… the full application to the Lottery Heritage Fund. It… well it never got sent.”_

_“What? F***!”_

_“Yes quite.”_

_“Well is there any way you can re-submit?”_

_“Apparently not. According to Charlotte, there are strict deadlines, and seeing as it was our error that we missed it, they are unlikely to look favourably on us.”_

_“You’ve been speaking to Charlotte?”_

_“Well, Esther has. She is part of the legal team.”_

_“Yes. Of course. So now you need my help in finding £400,000?”_

_“Well… Yes.”_

_“Shit Tom. That’s not going to be easy.”_

_“No, well… is there any way you can put forward some funds, even for part of the shortfall?”_

_“No Tom, I’m afraid not. All my investments are tied up in other things.”_

_“Right. OK. Never mind. Charlotte has arranged a meeting for tomorrow morning at her office. We’re inviting the accountants. Can you come?”_

_“I’ll have to shift around some meetings, but yes, I’ll come.”_

_“Thank you Sidney.”_

_“OK. Bye Tom.”_

Sidney returned to Babington.

“What was that about?” Babington asked him.

“A typical Tom crisis. Don’t have £400,000 going spare do you?” Sidney said, clearly annoyed.

“No…”

“Didn’t think so.”

“Is this about Sanditon House?”

“Yes. Tom forgot to send the full application to the Lottery Heritage Fund.”

“Shit.”

“Yup.”

Babington paused for a moment “Well, I may not have the money, but I do know of someone who may be able to help.”

“Really?”

“Yes. A fund manager. She manages a fund that invests in heritage projects. I’ve been liaising with her on one of my own projects. I can dig out some information for you to take tomorrow if you like?”

“That sounds promising. Yes, please do.”

***********

**Friday 14 February 2020**

Esther was at her wit’s end with Tom, so much so that she decided to make separate travel arrangements to get to London as should could not bear a two hour train journey sat next to him. She’d always thought him disorganised, but to forget to do something so fundamentally crucial to their project was unforgivable. Had all the time, money and energy she’d invested over the last 12 months been for nothing? She’d put her heart and soul into this project and she was furious that one man’s blunder had put everything into jeopardy. Tom better hope that the accountants had come up with some new funding avenues or else he would truly suffer the effects of her wrath!

The only benefit about going to London was that Esther had decided, as it was the weekend, to stay a couple of nights with Charlotte and Clara. As it was Valentine’s day, they decided they were going to do a Bridget Jones movie marathon that evening. Edward would have to fend for himself a couple of days, but she was sure he could manage. He’d started seeing a private counsellor about his issues which was a step in the right direction. In any case, for now, Edward’s problems would have to wait, as she needed to deal with this current crisis with her project.

Charlotte was really nervous about seeing Sidney again, not just because of the way things were left between them, but also because their meeting would be in a professional context. Charlotte had no doubt that both of them would be just that – professional, but she knew the effect he had on her and hoped she wouldn’t falter in any way. If Charlotte were to consider it fully, she would admit that she was beginning to regret her choice to call things off between them. At the time, she’d been so overwhelmed by everything that it had seemed the right choice. Right for her, and right for Alison. But now, in the cold light of day, she was beginning to realise what a foolhardy decision she had made.

Charlotte had stayed late into the night preparing for the meeting, reviewing all of the project’s funding documents and considering the implications of Tom’s mistake. Sidney’s comment to her about not underestimating herself had prompted her to ask her boss, Meghan, if she could lead the meeting, and to her delight, she had agreed. So Charlotte arrived fresh faced and well prepared the next day and wearing her Louboutin’s as they gave her confidence.

Sidney was also feeling apprehensive about the meeting. The weeks since he’d last seen Charlotte had been really tough. He’d said he’d like to be friends and contact her, but each time he tried to write a message, it just didn’t feel right. He’d lost count of the times he’d started composing a text, only to give up. The whole thing was agonising! He was sure his longing for her was stronger than ever and it frustrated him that there was so little he could do about it. Sidney was desperate to see Charlotte and he wondered whether she was about done with needing time and space. He knew he was! Would he be able to broach the subject again and maybe get that second date?

Charlotte made her way downstairs with Meghan to the meeting room when everyone had arrived. Sidney couldn’t help but stare at her as she entered the room. He’d never seen “work Charlotte” before, and she was… no other word for it… stunning and Sidney’s body started tingling even though she was modestly dressed. She wore a black suit dress that stopped just above the knee, with a matching black jacket. Her slender legs were bare, or perhaps she wore see-through tights, and on her feet were the same red stilettos she’d worn out on New Years’ eve. The memory of her swapping them for pumps filled his mind and he couldn’t help but smile at her. Charlotte glanced his way and caught him smiling at her, and she offered a shy smile in return. Sidney’s heart began racing when she looked at him and his stomach flipped. And at that moment he knew there was no doubt about it – he was still very much in love with her.

Sidney’s smile had been reassuring and gave Charlotte the confidence she needed to lead the meeting. She advised on the current position with the funding. So long as an alternative funding was secured prior to the draw down of the National Heritage Trust grant, there would be no issues. The next agenda item was to explore possible funding avenues for the £400,000 shortfall.

“We’ve conducted an initial legal assessment of the possible funding possibilities. Unfortunately, public funding pots, such as the Lottery, are going to cause some issues from a timing perspective as the next rounds of funding are going to take at least six months to be distributed.” Charlotte said. She carried on with her legal advice, everyone in the room hanging on her every word, controlling the room. She was in her element as she went through each of the potential public funding pots and Sidney was slightly taken aback by the confidence she was exuding. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, she wasn’t even looking at her notes, but was looking around the room, checking she still had everyone’s attention. His mouth was getting dry, and he realised it was because he had his mouth slightly open in awe of her. He knew she was intelligent, but the way she was conducting herself right now was well, pretty impressive. As she finished speaking, she realised that her eyes had fallen on Sidney and he was staring at her. The room was silent and the tension between them was palpable. Sidney and it was like his whole body was on fire. He swallowed painfully and cleared his throat and managed to find some words to break the silence. “OK, thanks Charlotte, so looks like public funding is a no go. Agreed Esther? Tom?” Sidney asked. He had hung on her every word. God she was attractive.

“Yes, yes. OK.” Tom said like he understood what he was agreeing to, when in reality he was a little baffled by it all. Esther nodded.

Charlotte continued. “The next avenue we have looked at is high street bank finance. Sanditon House Limited has a start-up loan of £500,000 from Willoughby’s Bank which is secured by way of a charge against Sanditon House.” She turned to look at the accountant. “Do you think Willoughby’s would increase the loan?”

“Yes, we explored this avenue yesterday. Unfortunately as the company is in its infancy, the bank has little appetite for increasing the loan until the company starts making a profit.” The accountant replied.

“I thought that may be the case. OK, so bank finance is probably off the table. That brings us to private investors and funds, maybe even family members?” She looked at Sidney expectantly, assuming that this why he was here, to invest. He was looking at her intently, admiringly and when he spoke in his deep tones, her heart started to beat faster.

“There is one promising possibility I wanted to put forward. There is a private fund which invests in heritage projects, anything up to £500,000, so it will cover the full amount of the shortfall.” Charlotte frowned. She was slightly bemused that Sidney was not offering to invest himself.

Sidney continued. “There is no formal application process, because it is a private fund and actually not that well known about. More often than not the fund manager seeks out projects to invest in, but it is OK to approach her with a proposal. We’ll need to put something together in writing and also offer some collateral. There are a range of properties owned by the Parker family which might tempt them and it would need consent of all four of us, so we’ll need to involve Arthur and Diana. I think Bedford Place would be the best option.” Sidney said, looking at Tom.

“Yes, Bedford Place is an option if the fund would accept being the second chargee, as the house already has one charge against it in favour of Bingley’s Bank.” The accountant added.

“But won’t the fact we’ve got tenants have an impact?” Tom asked.

“Shouldn’t do, it will just take a bit more paperwork.” The accountant confirmed.

Esther had so far remained silent through the discussions, but now spoke up. “So what do we need to do to explore this further?”

“I can arrange a meeting with the fund manager for early next week?” Sidney said. “We’ll need to put a proposal together beforehand though. May mean working over the weekend.”

“Very well. I’ve brought all the papers with me, so that shouldn’t be a problem and I was planning on staying in London this weekend anyway.” Esther replied. “Tom, what are your thoughts?”

“All sounds super to me.” He said enthusiastically. “But how did you hear of this fund Sidney?”

“Babington told me about it.”

“Babington?” Esther said surprised. Why him of all people?

“Yes. In fact, it may be useful to have him work on the proposal as he’s done one himself recently.” Sidney explained.

“Great idea Sidney.” Tom replied. Esther stayed quiet. She was not convinced this was a good idea. The last time she'd seen Babington she'd shouted at him.

“OK, so is everyone free if I fix up a meeting with the fund manager, say, Monday afternoon?” Esther, Tom and the accountant responded in the affirmative.

“Charlotte?” The way he said her name made her shiver.

“Me?” She faltered slightly. “I mean. Do you think there will be a need for a lawyer to be there. We don’t want you to rack up costs unnecessarily.”

He smiled softly at her. “No, I think you definitely need to be there.”

“OK then. Yes that’s fine.” Charlotte replied.

“Good. I’ll make some calls then.”

“Right... well, this sounds like a plan. Shall we take a coffee break and reconvene in ten minutes? You can find all you need in reception. This meeting room is booked all day, so we can just stay put. I’ve got lunch arranged for 1pm.” Charlotte said.

Everyone started making their way out the room. Charlotte was still gathering some papers together and Sidney lingered behind.

“Charlotte?” He said softly. She looked up, surprised to see him still there. In that moment she seemed to lose all her confidence.

“Yes.” She said nervously.

“It’s good to see you.” He said. Charlotte’s heart was pounding, her lips parted, her eyes wide as she stared at him, momentarily lost for words. Noticing the tension, Sidney cleared his throat again. “How’s Alison doing?”

Somehow Charlotte managed to find her voice. “Oh… Really well. My Dad’s private medical insurance came though, so she’s been at the rehabilitation centre in Streatham for the past couple of weeks.” The words came out quickly and breathlessly.

“That’s great news.”

“Yes. She’s making really good progress.” Charlotte said looking at her desk. His piercing gaze was making the room start to swim.

“It was good to see you taking the lead in the meeting.” Sidney added.

Charlotte looked back up at him. “Yes, well, someone wise once told me not to underestimate myself.” She said timidly.

“I remember.” He replied, smiling tenderly at her.

Tom burst into the room and Sidney closed his eyes in disappointment that their conversation had been interrupted. Tom, as usual, was completely oblivious.

“Right Sidney – are you going make those calls?”

“Steady on Tom, let me get a coffee first.” Sidney rose and left the room, but looked back at Charlotte and caught her eye before leaving.

Sidney made the calls. Babington was going to join them at the office for lunch and then stay to help with them write the proposal. Sidney had also arranged a meeting with the fund manager for the Monday afternoon.

“Do you have the name of the fund manager, it would be good to do some research on her before we meet her?” Charlotte asked Sidney.

“Her name is Susan. Susan Worcester.” Sidney replied.


	26. Valentine's Day

Babington was surprised to be invited to join the Sanditon House crisis meeting. Given his last encounter with Esther, he was not sure he’d be welcome. He’d not seen or heard from her since Edward’s episode at the pub, but that was not to say he had not thought of her, and probably more often than he should have liked. There was something about her aloofness that was drawing him in. Esther was so unlike any other woman he had ever met. Most other women he came across were keen to impress him, after all he was heir to a fortune and therefore a very eligible bachelor - and that was the main reason why he tried to hide the fact he was the son of an Earl. Esther’s obvious disdain for him even after she knew who he was, intrigued him and had quite the opposite effect than perhaps she intended.

Babington arrived at the office around 12pm and was shown into the meeting room by a receptionist. Only Tom and Esther were in there and she turned to look at him with a look of indifference, although if Babington had looked close enough, he would see her resolve to treat him as such slightly falter.

“Babington. So glad you could join us.” Tom said inviting him to take a seat beside him.

“Yes, it appears you are Sanditon House’s knight in shining armour, Babington.” Esther said with a hint of sarcasm.

Her cynical manner made him smile. She was still the same as he remembered. “Well, I would be keeping up a pretence if I were to agree with you. I am merely here to help out a friend.” He replied, giving her a knowing look which made her give him a genuine, albeit small, smile. “I thought Sidney might be here?”

“He had to take a call. Charlotte has also got called away, but is re-joining us for lunch.” Tom replied.

“Right. So how are you getting on?” Tom got Babington up to date with their progress. They already had all the information to hand having made a variety of grant applications, but were struggling with how to pitch the proposal – which is where Babington could help.

“You need to think of this as a sales piece rather than a plea for money. What is it about Sanditon House that is so special, so unique? Why should they invest in your project and not others? What sort of returns can you offer on the investment? What’s your marketing strategy to attract visitors?”

“OK…” Esther said thoughtfully. “Well we have our business plan and marketing strategy. I suppose we start with this?” Tom was silent. This was not his forte.

“Great. And I would start the proposal with an overview of the history and the unique features of the house as an introduction. The deer park, the formal gardens… the drawing room floor.”

And so they got into it and started to get into the flow. Sidney re-joined them 20 minutes later and was able to help with the financial proposition, so that by the time it came to 1pm, the proposal was starting to take shape. The receptionist came in with their lunch, which was a selection of sandwiches, fruit and cakes.

“Remember to leave some for Charlotte.” Esther asked, when Tom started to help himself to the platter of sandwiches.

Charlotte hurried into the room ten minutes later. “Sorry, I got caught on a call… George! Lovely to see you. How’s everything going?”

“I think we’re making good progress. Thanks for putting on lunch.” Babington replied.

“No problem.” Charlotte said, smiling at him politely.

“We saved you some food, a little bit of everything.” Charlotte’s stomach flipped when she heard Sidney speak. She slowly turned to look at him. Did he realise the effect he had on her?

“Thank you.” She stuttered.

“So Tom, as the only married one among us, what plans have you got with Mary tonight?” Babington asked him as Charlotte helped herself to some food.

“Tonight?”

“For God’s sake Tom – you have remembered it’s valentine’s day?” Sidney said exasperatedly.

“Oh shit.” Obviously not then. Why did he always have to save his skin?

“There’s a shop down the road that sells cards.” Charlotte chipped in.

“Right.”

“And call the hotel – sort out dinner?” Sidney suggested

“Sure.” Everyone was looking at him expectantly. “Oh now?”

Sidney rolled his eyes. “Yes Tom – now.”

"Right" Tom hastily left the room. Charlotte could hardly believe Tom and Sidney were related. Sidney was attentive and romantic and Tom was… well… not!

Babington turned to Esther. “What are your plans for valentine’s day?” He was a bit nervous about her answer.

“Oh, we’re having a girly evening.” She said turning to Charlotte. “Valentine’s day is so overrated.”

“What does a girly evening consist of?” Babington asked intrigued, but also a bit relieved that she wasn’t going out with anyone.

“We’re having a movie marathon.” Charlotte replied, coming to sit down with them at the table.

“What movies?” Sidney asked.

“Bridget Jones.”

“Didn’t they release a new one of those recently?”

“Well, yes, three ½ years ago!” Charlotte teased.

“Ah.”

“Movies aren’t really your thing are they?” Charlotte said smiling at him. He smiled back. “Clearly not.”

“So… what are you boys up to?” Charlotte asked uncertainly, suddenly realising she was afraid of his answer.

“We’re off out to the Valentine’s Gala at the Natural History Museum." Babington answered.

"Oh wow. How did you get tickets for that?" Charlotte asked. It was a prestigious annual event which was attended mainly by the rich, including a smattering of celebrities.

"Sidney sorted it of course." Babington looked over to him and grinned.

"One of my work contacts had some tickets going spare." Sidney replied less than enthusiastically. "To be honest I'd rather be watching Bridget Jones!"

"Interesting. I didn't take you for a rom com fan." Charlotte teased.

"Well what did you take me for then?" Sidney asked flirtatiously, forgetting for a moment that they weren't the only two people in the room, but Charlotte did and she blushed and all she could manage in response was "I dunno really."

Esther and Babington were watching the exchange curiously and shared a knowing glance.

“Are you planning on staying in London for the weekend Esther?” Babington answered, in attempt to steer the conversation in a new direction, but he was also wondering if there may be an opportunity to see her again before she went back to Sanditon.

“Yes, and as we now have the meeting with the fund manager on Monday, I might as well stay until then – if Charlotte and Clara will have me of course.”

“Of course! Stay as long as you like.” Charlotte replied. “What is Susan Worcester like George?”

“Oh she’s nice enough, but very diligent and hot on details. You’ll need to go in fully prepared cos if there is anything you’re unsure of, she’ll pick you up on it.”

“Sounds like it’s going to be a bit like Dragon’s Den.” Esther observed.

“Ha! Yes, that’s exactly what it’s like!”

“Maybe we ought to have a pre-meeting rehearsal on the Monday morning?” Charlotte suggested.

“Yes, that’s probably a good idea.” Sidney agreed.

“OK, well, when Tom gets back I’ll sort it out a meeting room for us. I’ll get Meg to put together some challenging questions for us so we can practice our responses! We’ll need to get Clive here too.”

“Clive?” Babington asked.

“Our accountant.” Esther replied.

“Ah.”

They engaged in some polite small talk for a while until Sidney’s phone rang. “Sorry I need to get this.” He got up and left the room.

“Right, well I better get going too I’m afraid. I’ve got a contract to get out this afternoon.” Charlotte said, getting up to leave. “I’ll come back down and check on you all later. If you need me, just ask reception to give me a ring.”

“Thanks Charlotte.” Esther said.

Charlotte went off out the room and met Sidney in the corridor as she to heading to the office stairwell.

“Hey.” He said, coming off his call.

“Hi.” She replied uneasily.

“So… I’ve got to head back to work.” Sidney said.

“Me too.” There was an awkward paused between them. “So I’ll see you on Monday?” Charlotte added.

“Sure.”

“Have a good time tonight.” She turned to go.

“Charlotte?” He wasn’t ready to say goodbye yet. There were a million and one things he wanted to say to her and he wasn’t sure he’d get another chance.

She turned back round, her heart beating fast and looked at him expectantly.

“Sidney! Charlotte!” Tom came running up the corridor and Sidney could have hit him for the ill-timed interruption. “All sorted for tonight. You two are lifesavers!”

Charlotte smiled politely. “Right, well I’m going back upstairs, but Esther and George are still in the room if you want to join them.”

“I’ve got to head off too.” Sidney added, hoping that he may still be able to talk to Charlotte if he could get rid of Tom.

“But Sidney, there is still one idea I want to run past you. Can’t you just wait another ten minutes?” Tom pleaded.

Sidney sighed. This was not his day. “Fine, but it’ll need to be quick.” He looked at Charlotte, his disappointment obvious. “I’ll… I’ll see you on Monday then.” He said to her.

“Yes, Monday.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

He watched her walk back down the corridor and round the corner and his heart sank.

Tom had to leave the office by 4pm to catch a train back to Sanditon in time for his valentine’s dinner with Mary, leaving Esther and Babington to finish off the proposal. By the time it came to close of business, the majority of the proposal had been written and all it needed was some final tweaks and edits. Esther was surprised by how useful Babington had been today, and also, although she tried to hide it, pretty impressed. He had a lot of good ideas about content, and the presentation as well. Esther was now feeling confident about the plan and hopeful about the project’s future. She wouldn’t admit it, but Babington’s optimistic manner was rubbing off on her. He was actually a lot of fun to be around, and he really made her laugh.

“So Esther, do you think, now you’ve been able to bear with being in the same room as me for an entire afternoon, you would be able to stand doing so again?”

“Well, yes, it’s true, I am beginning to find you slightly better company.”

He laughed. “I have never met anyone else who can give a compliment in such a way that it might also be an insult.”

She smiled at him. “Yes it is one of my many talents.”

“One of many? Well then, perhaps you will let me take you out and you can tell me more about your many other talents?”

“You’re asking me out?” Esther was surprised.

“Yes. Yes I am.” He said self-assuredly.

“Why? When I treat you which such contempt? Don’t you think I’m a rather futile pursuit?”

“No. I see what you’re trying to do.”

“Oh you do, do you?”

“Yes. And I won’t be put off you know.” She looked at him suspiciously. “Come on, just one date. What have you got to lose?”

She sighed. “Very well. But nothing too fancy. Just dinner would suffice.”

“OK. Tomorrow night?”

“Sure, why not.”

************

This was to be the second time Sidney would be attending the Valentine’s Gala and he was dreading it. He spent half his time going to events like this, but he very rarely enjoyed it. Unfortunately for Sidney (although others would not find this such a hardship), networking was one of his talents and he had built up a wide network across London over the last few years. This meant he was forever securing invitations to London society’s esteemed events – much to his tech company’s delight, as it helped raise its profile. Indeed, iTSM’s turnover had grown tenfold over the last five years and that was in no small part down to Sidney’s efforts. But Sidney’s success had its downsides and this one of them. He wasn’t joking when he said he’d rather watch Bridget Jones instead of being here, and his views on this were made even stronger when he passed a smattering of paparazzi at the entrance to the museum who were waiting to see if any A lister was going to show up. Sidney walked straight past them without stopping despite the click and flashes from the photographers and the shouts from reporters calling “Mr Parker!” Sidney had no idea why his presence here would be so interesting. He was a businessman, and not a celebrity and he hated all the attention. His agreement to be interviewed by GQ Magazine last year was only meant to be an opportunity to promote his company and the tech sector in general, but GQ had insisted on doing a photo shoot, much to his embarrassment. Sidney guessed that his appearance in the paper last month had raised his profile even more. How he wished he could escape it all.

Sidney spent the first hour at the Gala talking to some of his clients and other connections in the Hintze Hall until he was able to getaway and try and find Babington. They’d opened the whole museum for guests to muse around, so finding him would be no mean feat. Sidney sent him a text and hoped he would check his phone promptly. He then made his way down to the vault, thinking that it would be quiet. Much to his relief, there were only a couple of other guests there.

In the relative quiet, his thoughts turned to Charlotte. Seeing her again had been amazing. He didn’t realise how much he had missed her. But he was unsure of where things stood between them. He had been wanting to raise the subject with her today, but had missed that opportunity, thanks to Tom’s interruptions. At least he would be seeing her again on Monday and the thought made his heart race. Feeling spontaneous, he decided he would send her a text, his first for nearly a month, to at least show he as thinking of her.

_Sidney: Still wish I was watching Bridget Jones…_

Just as he sent the text, he heard someone approach him.

“Sidney?”

The voice sounded familiar to him. He turned round to look at its owner and froze. “Lizzie?” She smiled sweetly at him which he did not return. His stomach churned which made him feel nauseous.

“The same.” She replied. He suddenly got a flashback of the last time he saw her and his face contorted in anger. She may be the same, especially in appearances, but he was not. He clenched his jaw painfully to try and control his emotions.

“So you’re back in London then?” He said as more than a statement than a question as the last thing he wanted was to engage in conversation with her.

“So you see, at least for the time being.” He nodded and turned to look at the exhibits, his resentment obvious.

“Is this how it’s going to be between us Sidney?” She asked nervously.

“There is no “us” Lizzie. You put a stop to that when you started your sordid affair with Campion.” He replied with gritted teeth, gripping onto the rail by the exhibit, his knuckles turning white.

“You’re never going to forgive me are you?” She said forlornly.

He was almost ready to reply with an angry retort when he remembered Charlotte’s words to him on New Year’s eve. He was rewriting his history and Lizzie no longer had this hold on him. His anger started to slowly disappear and he closed his eyes and took a deep breath to face her.

“Lizzie. You made a choice. You chose him over me. It’s been over five years. Why do you even care if I forgive you or not?”

“Because I never stopped caring about you Sidney.” She put her hand on his arm, but he shook it off and took a step back from her.

“No Lizzie. You can’t do this, it’s not fair. Not after what you did to me.” His tone was cold, but it was no longer laced with anger.

“Sidney, please.” Her eyes were wide, but there were no tears there.

“What is it you’re hoping to achieve here?”

“I guess I was hoping that after all that happened between us, we could at least try to be…”

“Be what?”

“Be… I dunno, civil with each other.”

“Would you want to be civil with me if I’d cheated on you in the same way?” he asked incredulously.

She looked down, ashamed. “I never meant to hurt you, you know.”

“That may be the case, but you did.”

“I’m sorry.”

Sidney sighed. He was tired of being angry with her. “What’s done is done. You have your life, and I have mine. That’s just the way it is.” His phone beeped indicating a text had arrived. It was Charlotte. He did not want to read this around Lizzie.

“I have to go. Have a good night.” And he left her without looking back.

_Charlotte: Chin up. It could be worse. You could be a stuffed pygmy shrew!_

Sidney smiled. His encounter with Lizzie had perturbed him somewhat, but the fact that Charlotte was communicating with him again quickly dispelled all the unpleasantness he was feeling. He wrote back a reply.

_Sidney: Yes, that would be worse, although those things are cute...! At least there is free champagne._

_Charlotte: Free champagne? Then what are you complaining about?_ _😉_

_Sidney: The champagne would be more enjoyable in more agreeable company._

_Charlotte: Well then you’ll have to make different valentine’s day plans for next year._

_Sidney: I intend to. X_

_***********_

**_THE DAILY MIRROR [FRONT PAGE]_ **

**_Exclusive! Lizzie Barnes spotted cosying up to Ex Sidney Parker at Natural History Museum Valentine’s Gala_ **

_Lizzie Barnes is back in London after her shock split from Frederick Campion last month. She made a surprise appearance at the Valentine’s Gala last night, looking stunning in a bespoke Dior lilac dress (photo top right) and it appears that she has wasted no time in rekindling old flames. A reliable witness says he spotted Barnes getting cosy with her Ex, tech director Sidney Parker, who was also photographed attending the event (photo bottom left)._

_Barnes and Parker were engaged five years ago. Shortly after they called off their engagement, Barnes got with Campion, although it is alleged that the affair started months before. Sources say that Parker never got over the split and has not had a serious relationship since. Barnes has indicated that she intends to make a permanent move to London, where Parker also resides. Questions still remain as to the custody of her two year old son, but he is believed to be making the move with her._


	27. A Different Date

Charlotte was woken up by her phone ringing. She glanced at the clock. It was 8.34am. Who could be ringing her at this time on a Saturday morning? She reached for her phone.

 _"Georgie?"_ She said, confused as to why she would be calling at this hour.

_"We're engaged!"_

_"What?"_ she asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

_"Otis proposed last night!"_

_"Oh wow! Congratulations!"_ she said, yawning.

_"Thanks. Sorry to call so early, but I was too excited. I didn't wake you did I?"_

_"Well, yes, but I ought to get up anyway and head to the gym. So… tell me the details. How did he propose?"_

Georgie proceeded to tell her all about her romantic valentine's day date with Otis which ended with a proposal on the London Eye. As Georgie was describing the romantic moments, Charlotte couldn't help but recall the details of her date with Sidney. The incredible dinner, the playful ice skating and the perfect finale at the top of the Monument. But their evening had ended so very differently from Georgie's and despite her obvious happiness for her friend, there was a tinge of sadness and regret that things had not worked out in a more agreeable way for her and Sidney.

 _"So, I have a very important question to ask you."_ Georgie said as she ended her tale. _"Will you be my bridesmaid?"_

 _"Oh Georgie, of course. It would be an honour!"_ Charlotte exclaimed, genuinely choked. _"God I'm so happy for you!"_

_"Yay!”_

_“Do you have a date in mind for the wedding?”_

_“Just working it out with the family, but it will be in the summer.”_

_“Gosh, that’s not much time to plan a wedding!”_

_“Well, I don’t see the point in waiting now I’ve found the one!”_ Charlotte smiled. Her friend was so in love! _“But I’ll need your help to make things happen.”_

_“Of course, I am at your disposal. Just promise me you won’t turn into Bridezilla!”_

_“Well, you have my permission to call me out if I do.”_

_“Deal.”_

_“Right, well I'll let you go and head off to the gym. I've got like another three thousand calls to make!"_

_"Yes go! I'll speak to you later."_

_"Bye."_

_"Bye."_

Charlotte made it to the gym at 9.30am for a kettlebell class, as was her usual Saturday morning routine. After the workout and a hot shower, she returned to the changing rooms where two fellow class members were in mid conversation.

"Did you see that Lizzie Barnes is back in London?" Charlotte took an involuntary sharp intake of breath, but it went unnoticed by the other girls.

"No!"

"Yeah it’s on the front page of the mirror this morning. She was at the Valentine's Gala last night with her ex Sidney Parker."

Charlotte felt like she had suddenly been doused with cold water, despite having just had a hot shower. She was facing the wall, but if she had turned round, the girls would have noticed that her eyes were wide in shock. Her mind was whirring. Sidney and Lizzie were both at the Gala last night?

"The guy she cheated on with Frederick Campion?"

"Yeah."

"They were together at the Gala?"

"Apparently."

"God! Doesn't he have any self-respect?" That made Charlotte tense up. She didn’t like hearing Sidney being criticised.

"I know! I wouldn't be so forgiving, even if it is Lizzie Barnes."

“Perhaps you don’t know the full story.” Charlotte said, defending him without thinking and turning to look at them. They looked at her clearly affronted.

“Oh and I suppose you do?” One of them said. Charlotte suddenly regretted her outburst. She was not going to divulge what she knew to people she only saw in a kettlebell class on a Saturday morning.

“I just think that… you know, these are real people. Not everything is as black and white as the press makes out. Life is complicated.”

“Right…” They looked at her as though she was an idiot. “Well these are also people who have chosen to be in the limelight.”

“Have they though? Maybe Lizzie Barnes has, but not Sidney… Parker.” She added as perhaps it sounded too familiar to just call him by his Christian name. “He’s a businessman, not a celebrity.”

“If he’s just a businessman, then why did he do a model photoshoot?”

“Oh my God, he looked so fit in those photos. He practically oozes sex appeal. Anyone who ends up in his bed is a lucky girl." The other girl added.

“You can say that again!”

Charlotte’s heart began to race. She had been that girl. God she hated the way they were talking about Sidney, reducing him to simply an object of their desire. Yes he was objectively handsome, but there was so much more to him than that. Her head was swimming. What had happened last night at the Gala? Charlotte hastily got dressed and left the gym. She practically ran back to her flat. Clara and Esther were having breakfast when she entered the door.

"Charlotte! How was the gym?"

“Fine thanks.” She said distractedly and sped to her bedroom. Noticing that Charlotte seemed a bit out of sorts, Clara and Esther followed.

"Charlotte? What's the matter?" Clara asked anxiously. Charlotte had left her phone at home and was now searching for the article the girls’ had been talking about online. When she found it, she read it quickly. Her heart was racing and her breathing was shallow.

"Charlotte?" she handed over the phone and her friends read it too.

"Oh God Charlotte, you don't believe this rubbish do you?" Esther asked.

"I don't know what to believe. They were both there after all."

"But he was texting you last night! Why would he be doing that if he was with her? It doesn't make any sense." Clara added.

“I know, but she was his fiancée Clara. He hasn’t seen her in five years. Maybe seeing her again stirred up some old feelings?”

“No way Charlotte! I was there yesterday in the meeting. He clearly still has strong feelings for you.” Esther said.

“Even if he did Esther, I pretty much dumped him before anything really even started. What right have I to be upset about this? He’s a free man. He can be with anyone he wants.” Charlotte was resigned to the fact that she had made her choice and had to live with it. If she was hurting, it was all her own doing.

“Charlotte! You have to phone him and sort this out between you.” Clara implored.

“And what would I say exactly?”

“Just be honest. Tell him how you feel.”

Charlotte shook her head. “It’s not that simple.”

“Yes it is!”

Charlotte sighed. “Look, I love you guys for caring. It means a lot. But this is something I have to work out for myself.”

Esther and Clara looked at each other. “Fine. But sooner or later you are going to have to admit to yourself that you are falling in love with him.” Esther said and they walked out of the room to leave Charlotte to her thoughts.

********************

Sidney woke up with a headache and he instantly regretted having that extra glass of champagne, but Babington had insisted. He lay in bed for a while, the world still slightly spinning. He picked up his phone from his bedside, switched it on and was instantly bombarded with what felt like a million messages. He couldn't face them all without coffee and paracetamol, so he got up and headed for the kitchen. Once he had taken the pills and had his coffee in hand, he sat at the kitchen table and opened the first message on his phone. It was from Babington.

_Babington: Just to prepare you. You're on the front page of the Daily Mirror._

What the f***? Sidney thought. He searched for the article online, ignoring the other messages and read.

"Shit!" He shouted out loud when he read it. His thoughts instantly drifted to Charlotte and he wondered if she had seen it. It seemed so monumentally unfair that they were just starting to reconnect and now this had come out. He wanted to call her now to explain how completely wrong the article was, but things were still so up in the air between them that he was not sure how well it would be received.

He started to make his way through all the other messages, all asking about the article. Then there were the two voicemails from reporters at the Daily Mirror and Daily Star asking for a comment. How he'd wished he'd stayed at home last night. The more he read the more incensed he got and he decided he needed to go for a run to clear his head.

Sidney threw on his running clothes and stuck on one of his Spotify playlists, hoping this would help him find his happy place and headed off for a run around the park. However, as he was so pent up, he started off far too quickly, so that after ten minutes, he got quite a painful stitch and had to slow down to a walk to catch his breath. The run was clearly not having the desired effect and he knew why he was restless. It wasn’t just the article, it was Charlotte in general.

Seeing her again had been wonderful, but also frustrating because Sidney still didn’t know how things stood between them. Did Charlotte feel anything for him at all? Would she even contemplate being with him, properly? Because Sidney was in no doubt that this is what he wanted. He’d wanted it since the moment he had met her. And now this article had been published and he felt like she was slipping away from him again.

***********

“I still can’t believe you are going on a date with him?” Clara said to Esther.

“Why is that so implausible?”

“Because you haven’t exactly hidden the fact he… I dunno, irritates you.”

“Ah, but Clara, you forget that this is what Esther is like. She did exactly the same with Jonny.” Charlotte added.

“I did not!” Esther retorted.

“Oh yes you did! It’s a wonder these guys are still interested after the hard time you give them.”

“Perhaps it’s the thrill of the chase that keeps them going? Playing hard to get can be a turn on after all” Clara suggested.

“Or perhaps I just don’t want to go out with an idiot!” Esther cut in, not enjoying being the topic of conversation.

“I think we can safely say Babington is not an idiot after he so valiantly came to your project’s rescue.” Charlotte said.

“Maybe. I guess we’ll see how he fares tonight.” Esther smirked.

“Oh Esther, please be kind to him. He seems like a genuinely nice guy.” Charlotte pleaded.

“Well I can’t be too kind as it’ll confuse him!”

The friends laughed. “True!”

Babington picked Esther up at 7.30pm on the dot. Punctuality was obviously one of his strong points and Esther couldn’t help but be impressed as she could never be with a man who would keep her waiting. Despite her cool demeaner, Esther had actually tried to make an effort tonight. She wore a dark green dress with brown suede knee-high boots and she had curled her auburn hair.

“So where are you taking me tonight then?” Esther asked rather brashly as they left the flat to catch the tube.

“Do you want to know, or would you rather have a surprise?”

“I’m not really one for surprises.”

“I don’t believe you.” He said boldly. Esther looked at him, a glint in her eye.

“Fine. You may surprise me, so long as you have kept to my request to keep this simply to dinner.”

“Of course! I wouldn’t dare go outside the remit of my instructions.” He said smirking at her and she couldn’t help but smile back.

Babington took her to a quaint Thai restaurant which happened to be just down the road from his and Crowe’s wine bar in Soho. He knew the owner well and had often dined here, so he could vouch for the quality of the food.

“I have to say that when you brought me to Soho, I was convinced you would take me to your wine bar. But you have surprised me yet again Babington.”

“Again?” He was chuffed that he had done so, as Esther seemed like a person who would not easily be taken by surprise.

“Yes.” She merely stated in response and looked down at her glass of wine, annoyed with herself for giving that away.

“And how did I surprise you last time?” He asked flirtatiously.

Esther raised her eyes to meet his. “At the meeting yesterday. I was surprised at how… useful you were.”

“Did I just hear right? Did Esther Denham just give me another compliment?”

“Yes, well. Don’t get used to it.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” He laughed.

The waitress arrived with their food order. The food was delicious. Babington was watching Esther closely. “I think this is my favourite restaurant in London you know. And I have been to a lot of different establishments. But somehow I always find myself back here.” Babington said contemplatively. “What are your feelings Esther?”

“About what? The food? The drink? The company?” She looked up at him when she said this and he blushed as a wave of desire swept through him.

“Yes, all of that.” He stuttered.

She smiled softly at him “It’s growing on me. But I wouldn’t want to be in agreement with you too much, too soon.” Her witty remark dispelled the brief moment of tension.

He laughed. “No, whatever you do, you must guard yourself against that. The humiliation! You have your reputation to consider.”

“And you yours.” She teased.

“Mine? And what reputation is that? What wild speculation have you been hearing?” He asked, enjoying the banter.

“Nothing of consequence, but only what I imagine a son of an Earl’s reputation to be like.” She admitted.

“Then I think you be surprised again for I am not such a good for nothing as I would like.” He paused. “And since, I think we are both trying to free ourselves from the burden of no longer living with pretence, perhaps you would enlighten me on something.”

Esther looked at him nervously. “Go on.”

“The… incident at the pub a few weeks ago. You said I knew nothing about it – whatever had gone on between you and your brother and… and it’s been much on my mind since.”

“Babington… I…” She did not want to talk about it, but perhaps she owed him an explanation as well as an apology for her reaction when he tried to intervene.

“Please, let me finish.” Esther stayed quiet. “I know at the time my intervention was… unwelcome, but I am struggling to see why.” He looked at her softly and she bit her lip. He let her think for a moment and then tried to prompt her to reply. “Charlotte said that your relationship with Edward was complicated?”

Esther nodded and took a deep breath. “Truth is, I had a miserable childhood George.” The use of his first name made Babington’s heart leap in his chest. There was something intimate about her saying it. He stayed silent and let her continue. “My mother was not particularly maternal. She wasn’t a bad mother, she just wasn’t very affectionate. But my father… my father was my whole world. I remember every day watching for him out of the window to come back from work. He would step through the door, scoop me up in his arms and call me his little princess.” She smiled as she remembered. “Then one day, when I was four years old, he never came home. I sat at the window for hours, refusing to have dinner or go to bed. My Mum didn’t know what to do with me. A few weeks later, Edward and his father came to live with us. Years later I learnt that my Mum and Edward’s Dad had been having an affair. There was a big custody battle and my Dad went to live in the US. I saw him the day before he left and although he wrote to me over the years, I have not seen him since.”

Babington was studying Esther closely.

“Anyway, it wasn’t all so bad with Edward and his Dad living with us. My Mum was happier, more content and I gained a brother. We got really close and he filled the void my father had left behind. And then when I was seven, my mother and step-father died in a car crash.”

“Shit!” Babington couldn’t help but react. He had no idea.

Esther nodded. “And so Edward and I went to live with my Great Aunt Elizabeth in Sanditon House. She made it clear that she resented the fact she had become our guardian and so living in Sanditon was miserable. Edward didn’t cope very well. He was 10 at the time. He was a wild teenager. He drank and used drugs. He would come home late at night high as a kite and my Aunt or nanny would have the most horrendous arguments with him. But with me… with me he was always kind and attentive. Then when he was 16, he left too. I was only 13. Without him, life became a living hell. All I wanted was to get as far away from Sanditon as I could. Edward and I didn’t reconnect until a couple of years ago when my Aunt was ill. I thought he had redeemed himself, but the episode in the pub… it… it made me think I was losing him again.”

She stopped and had a drink of wine. “I bet you’re sorry you asked now.”

“Not at all. I… I feel as though I finally understand you.” He paused, hoping that what he said next wouldn’t offend her in any way. “It seems to me that for too long you have let the men in your life determine your self-worth. Look at the woman you have become despite their pernicious influence on you. You are an extraordinary woman Esther.”

“Babington, please.”

“No, it’s true. The more I learn about you, the more I admire you, and I’m not afraid to say it.” She was looking at him curiously and his heart was beating fast against his chest. “Look, I know that you don’t consider me a particularly good prospect.”

“George…”

“No, it’s OK, I get it, I come with a catch – a title and an estate. But I hope you will at least find in me a friend.”

She gave him a genuine smile. “You are a good man Babington.”

“Well, I try to be.”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For this, for your help with the project, for… just being here.”

He smiled. “You’re welcome.”


	28. The Pitch

Sunday passed without incident. Esther, Clara and Charlotte enjoyed hanging out together like old times. They found the time to pop out to the travel shop to browse holiday brochures for their next summer holiday and grabbed a coffee at the local coffee shop. Being with her friends helped distract Charlotte from the inner turmoil she was experiencing following the release of the news article. She was dreading facing Sidney tomorrow and whenever she thought about it, a wave of anxiety would wash over her. Half of her wanted to know what had happened between Sidney and Lizzie on Valentine’s day, at least to give her closure, but the other half didn’t as she was afraid that the answer would break her heart.

Esther was in high spirits after her date with Babington, and both Charlotte and Clara had noticed a change in her. They were keen to know the details of the date.

“So, we’ve been skirting around this topic all morning and now I think it’s the time for you to spill the beans about your date last night.” Clara said to Esther. Esther gave them a haughty look but then her face broke into a smile. “Oh my God Esther – your face says it all! You can’t just leave it like that!”

“He… he makes me laugh.” Esther said coyly.

“Well… that’s a good start.” Charlotte said.

“Did you kiss him?” Clara asked.

“Clara!”

“Well?”

“No I did not.”

“Why not?”

Esther shrugged. “It wasn’t that sort of date. It was just dinner, a chance to get to know each other better.”

“So what’s next? Are you going to see him again?” Charlotte asked.

“I don’t know. We kind of ended the date as friends.”

“Friends?!” Clara rolled her eyes. “Seriously, what am I going to do with you two?”

“Oh and I guess you have everything worked out with your love life?” Charlotte said.

“At least I don’t lie to myself about how I feel! Plus all my lovers know exactly where they stand with me.” Clara added.

“Oh really? So what is the deal exactly with you and Harry?” Esther asked.

“He is a friend… with benefits.” Clara winked.

“Yes, because that’s not confusing at all! I don’t know how anyone can be friends with someone they are sleeping with. Doesn’t sleeping with someone make things more complicated?” Charlotte said thoughtfully, thinking about her and Sidney.

“Well, that is your own experience, Charlotte. But then you haven’t had as many lovers as I have… and you have higher moral standards!” Clara added and the friends laughed.

***************

It was a gloomy February Monday morning which reflected Sidney’s current downcast mood. He’d spent the majority of the weekend agonising over whether to call or text Charlotte about the Daily Mirror piece, but it didn’t feel right. He somehow felt that this was something he needed to talk to her about in person and he was hoping for an opportunity sometime today. Sidney had not slept well all weekend and last night was no exception. Still, he had a job to do today so he got up, showered and shaved and got ready to head out to Charlotte’s office.

Sidney was the first to arrive at the office. He went to help himself to a coffee while he waited for the others in reception. Tom and Esther arrived a few minutes later following by their account Clive and they were shown into the meeting room which had been set up for the presentation.

When Charlotte entered the room and caught sight of Sidney her stomach flipped. He had dressed in his best suit for the meeting, which happened to be a dark grey Armani variety. He’d left the top buttons of his shirt open and Charlotte was instantly hit with memories from their New Year rendezvous which made her blush. He looked up at her with a strained expression and she could see there were dark circles under his eyes. She quickly averted her gaze from his, hoping he would not notice the colour that had appeared on her cheeks.

Sidney was once again taken aback by Charlotte’s appearance. She had opted for a simple maroon dress with her usual black jacket and black heels, her hair neatly pinned back. It was an understated look, yet professional. He noticed her gaze shift to his chest and the delightful colour that appeared on her cheeks when she entered and his heart started racing. God she was beautiful! He needed to be alone with her today to know if there was any chance they could be together.

The pitch rehearsal was rather awkward in places. Esther and Tom were clearly nervous, having never done a pitch before and so they mumbled in places and got a bit lost. They were also not prepared for the questions thrown at them by Meg (Charlotte’s boss), and bungled their answers. However, this was what the rehearsal was for. As expected, Sidney’s part of the presentation was expertly handled and Charlotte found she couldn’t keep her eyes off him when he was doing it. The tone of his voice, the confidence he exuded was so deeply attractive. Charlotte wasn’t going to be presenting in the meeting, but was there to help answer any legal queries if Miss Worchester had them.

Pretty soon it was time to head off for the meeting. Charlotte headed off down the corridor to go back to her desk to collect her things. Sidney hastily followed after her.

“Charlotte?” He called out. She stopped and turned round to face him, her features full of apprehension.

“Can I have a word?” Sidney asked. She looked at him expectantly. “In private?” He added.

“I don’t know Sidney – we’ve got to get going.” She replied, clutching her papers to her chest as a way to protect herself.

“It’ll only take a minute.”

She paused, unsure. “OK… We can use this meeting room.” She opened the door of the meeting room next to her. Sidney followed and closed the door behind him.

On hearing the door close, Charlotte was hit with another wave of anxiety. She knew she’d been trying to avoid this all morning because, in all honesty, she was frightened about what Sidney might say.

“I… I just wanted to clear the air between us.” Charlotte couldn’t meet his gaze. She cast her eyes downwards towards her toes to avoid looking at him. Sidney continued. “You… you probably saw the article in the Mirror?” Charlotte nodded, still unable to lift her eyes to meet his. Sidney was finding it unbearable. “Charlotte, please look at me.” She slowly lifted her eyes to his. They were wide and bright… and would have been beautiful if it were not for the trepidation he could see behind them. “What the article said, about me and Lizzie, it…”

“It’s really none of my business.” She interrupted, the trepidation he had seen in her eyes now fading to reveal a look of tenacity, as if she was trying to convey to him that she had resolved not to care, when in truth (whether she could admit to herself or not) she cared so much that she knew it would break her to know there was something between them. Her jaw was set and if she weren’t holding the papers so close to her, he would of seen her chest heaving from the exertion of keeping up the pretence.

He instantly felt disheartened. “Right.” Was all he could manage in response, clenching his jaw to contain his emotions. “But, I don’t want you to get the wrong impression…”

“You have no need to explain yourself to me.” Charlotte interrupted him again. Sidney felt like she had punched him in the stomach. Why wouldn’t she let him explain? He had no reply this time. It was like her words had winded him. “We should go and get ready. I’ll… I’ll see you downstairs in a minute.” She turned and headed out the door without looking back.

Sidney felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He was determined to have this out with her whether she liked it or not and even if he did have to wait for another opportunity after the meeting. He headed outside to the smoking shelter and got out his e-cigarette to try and calm himself down, after all, they had a job to do this afternoon and he needed to remain focussed.

They arrived a Miss Worcester’s office half an hour later. Esther and Tom were a bundle of nerves. No one had said much in the taxi there. Sidney’s eyes had kept flitting to Charlotte, but she remained looking out the window, obviously trying to avoid his gaze.

They waited in a posh reception area, Tom tapping his foot nervously and Charlotte scanning her emails on her phone to avoid looking at Sidney.

The reception phone rang and the receptionist answered. Once she had hung up the phone, she approached the group and told them to follow her up the stairs to the meeting room. The room was set up like a classic interview panel, with a woman (presumably Susan Worcester) sat in the middle and either side of her two gentleman. She gave them all a polite smile as they came in, Esther, Tom and Charlotte taking the seats in front of the table and Sidney and Clive standing behind. Sidney stood directly behind Charlotte and her heart went all aflutter. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself.

“Thank you for coming here this afternoon. Perhaps we should start with a few introductions. My name is Susan Worcester. I manage the UK Heritage Projects Fund, a fund set up especially to invest in a wide range of heritage projects across the UK. This is Jordan Thompson and Reginald Gray, my project managers. They oversee, audit and monitor our investment projects. If we decide to invest in the Sanditon House Project, one of them will be allocated to you.” She looked at them all as if sizing them up.

“Now, I already recognise one of your party – Sidney Parker.”

“Miss Worcester.”

“Susan, please.” Sidney nodded “I am curious to know why the technical director of iTSM is here to request funding for a heritage project?”

Sidney smiled politely. “Yes, I can imagine that is rather intriguing, but I can assure you I am not here to sell you any IT software.” He got a chuckle from the interview panel. “I am simply here to support my brother Tom, and his business partner Esther Denham. They are the directors of Sanditon House Limited. And this is our accountant, Clive Ford and our solicitor, Charlotte Heywood.” Charlotte’s heart skipped a beat when he said his name.

“So you have brought the full project team then?” Susan observed.

“As you see. We thought it would be good to introduce you to the key people in the project. Afterall, any investment would not only be in the project itself, but in the people who run it.” Sidney elaborated.

“Very well said Mr Parker.” Susan was still eyeing him up to get the measure of him. She’d heard his name floated about in London society but had not yet had the pleasure of meeting him until today. From what she heard, he was an impressive businessman and well liked. “We’ve had the opportunity to peruse the proposal you sent through to us over the weekend and have a number of questions, but perhaps you could start by telling us a bit more about the project.”

And so off they went with their pitch. Esther began by explaining the back story to the house and how it came to be in her family. Tom described what their plans were for the house, including tours of the furnished rooms, access to the formal gardens and the tea rooms along with a schedule of events throughout the year and the intention to use Sanditon House as a wedding venue. Clive took them through the current financial status of the company and the project forecasts and Sidney put forward their investment proposal. Thankfully the practice earlier this morning had given everybody confidence and it seemed to go without a hitch.

“OK, but what you haven’t addressed is why you are coming to us now? Surely public funding would be a much easier route for you?”

Tom interjected. “We have secured some public funding and explored the possibility of other public funding pots. We did have an application with the Lottery Heritage Fund, but this fell through.”

“So we are not your first choice?” Susan asked. Tom shifted uncomfortably.

Charlotte cut in. “You are right Susan, you were not our first choice. Public funding is highly sort after for these sorts of projects and that was initially our preferred route, particularly as it is often given on a grants basis and therefore does not have to be repaid. However, public funding is not as attractive as it once was because of, if you’ll forgive me for bringing it up, the uncertainties caused by Brexit. We have reflected on this as a project team and concluded that we don’t want to become heavily reliant on public funding when the political and economic landscape is so uncertain. We want to spread the risk and at this moment in time consider private funding is a more favourable route. Plus public funding has the added downside of not matching up with our project timetable as the launch is planned for May. The project requires a secure funding partner who can offer funds as of now, and not in six months’ time.”

Sidney was staring at the back of Charlotte’s head. His heart was thumping fast as she was speaking, did she know how damn impressive she was right now?

“Thank you for clarifying that so eloquently Charlotte.” Susan replied, also impressed with her. “So you mentioned in your pitch offering some collateral in return for the loan. What sort of security are you going to offer?”

Charlotte replied: “There are several options. The freehold to Sanditon House belongs to the company so there is a possibility of a legal charge over that, or a debenture over the totality of the company’s assets. However, this may not be attractive as the company’s assets are all already charged to Willoughby’s Bank, so your security would not take priority. Alternatively, we could provide you with a personal guarantee from Tom and Sidney which could be secured by way of a charge on one of their personal jointly owned properties” Charlotte replied.

“Right, well this will take some thought. We could be amenable to each arrangement, but this would be subject to thorough due diligence.”

“Of course.”

“What is your marketing strategy?”

Esther proceeded to tell her about their plans for attracting visitors. Susan asked some specific questions about their marketing campaigns and Esther replied confidently.

Once the marketing discussion was concluded, Susan turned to them. “I have to say that you have sold your project well today and we are interested.” Everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and Susan enjoyed the effect her words had on them. “However, I do have a slightly alternative arrangement to float by you, if you’ll bear with me. Every so often, a project comes along that has a particular charm to it. When I read your proposal I was instantly drawn to it because it had a clear vision. Sanditon House has a lot of selling points which make it an attractive investment opportunity and you have done a lot of the hard work already. What your project lacks is the benefit of one’s experience in this sector. And this is where my proposition comes in, because we do not want to offer you simply a loan. We want a share in your company.”

“Excuse me?” Esther said stunned.

“We will invest £400,000 for 20% of your company and with that 20% you will gain my experience and expertise at running a project like this and I will give you access to the best marketing companies who can help with your campaigns. This our only offer. I feel it is a generous offer and so I am not open to negotiation.” Everyone looked at each other. This was not what they were expecting at all.

“Would you like me to give you the room to discuss it?” Susan said, enjoying herself immensely.

“Yes, thank you Susan.” Sidney replied, as everyone else had lost their voice momentarily.

Susan and her colleagues left the room.

Clive turned to them all. “I think that seems to have gone too well! Do you want to give the fund a 20% stake in your business?” He asked Esther and Tom.

“I’m not sure. I’ve never really thought about it before.” Esther said.

“Susan made a good point about experience and expertise. I think we have a great marketing campaign, but think how much more we could achieve with her influence.” Tom said excitedly.

“I suppose it has been a rather hard graft doing it all from scratch with little clue how to go about things.” Esther agreed.

“But you have done such a good job so far Esther – think what you and Tom have achieved up until this point. We can negotiate terms etc. of any deal, but it’s a big decision to give away a part of your business to someone.” Charlotte added. They looked at her uncertainly.

“Sidney, what do you think?” Tom asked as Sidney had been silent so far.

“The way I see it is that this project has always carried a huge risk. A lot of time, money and energy has gone into it all so far, but you still carry the risk of the project failing. Sanditon does not have the same pull as Brighton, indeed, most people have never even heard of it, despite the towns being so closely situated to each other. I have always been concerned about how popular a tourist attraction Sanditon House will be and whether it will deliver the returns you need to make it a profitable venture. The project is utterly dependent on effective promotion and marketing. Susan can offer you that and so much more because of her experience. It is an attractive proposition.”

Charlotte looked at Sidney. “So you do not believe the project will be a success without the fund’s investment?” She asked abruptly.

“That’s not what I said.” Sidney replied, noticing the edge in her voice which irked him. “I just think there is a higher risk of failure without the investment.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?” She shot back at him.

“No. You’re the lawyer, aren’t you used to talking in terms of ‘risk’ and not absolutes?” He retorted.

Charlotte readied herself to retaliate, but Esther cut in. “That’s enough you two.” Sidney and Charlotte were glaring at one another while everyone else was watching their tense exchange, their breathing heavy.

Charlotte suddenly remember where they were. “Sorry Esther.”

“It’s fine. But would you mind if Tom and I would were to discuss this privately?”

“Yes, of course.” Sidney, Charlotte and Clive left the room.

Sidney followed Charlotte out of the room and Clive made his way to the mens. When he was out of sight, Sidney grasped Charlotte’s arm and spun her round to face him. The place on her arm where his hand lay felt like it was burning, but not because he was hurting her. “What the hell was all that about?” He asked her irritably.

“I… I…” Charlotte couldn’t speak. Her eyes had met his and they felt like they were piercing her very soul. She had not been this close to him for weeks and the nearness of him took her breath away. Sidney suddenly realised he was still tightly holding her arm and released her. Charlotte swallowed painfully, willing herself to say something in response. She couldn’t respond while looking in his eye, so she focused on a point over his shoulder. “I… I just think you need to believe in Tom and Esther more. They have been doing a good job with this project. I don’t disagree that Susan’s experience would help the project, but giving the fund a stake in the business is a big deal. They need to go in with their eyes open.”

“I do believe in Tom and Esther.” Sidney maintained.

“Do you? Does the project carry such a high a risk as you make out?” She quizzed him.

“I’ve always thought so, but that is my personal opinion which Tom has always been aware of and he did ask me for my thoughts.”

Charlotte thought about this for a minute. He was right. Sidney was entitled to his own opinion. Why had she gotten so angry with him for it? She nodded at him and looked down her feet. “You’re right. He did. I’m sorry I got cross.”

“Perhaps you’re really cross with me for some other reason?” Sidney suggested.

Charlotte shyly returned her gaze to his. He was looking at her expectantly.

“Sidney! Charlotte! Were you turfed out the room?” Susan said as she approached them. She had, unbeknown to them, been watching their interaction with intently. Charlotte blushed.

“Yes we were.” Sidney said, still watching Charlotte.

“Well, shall we see if they’ve made up their minds yet?” She wrapped on the door and went in. Sidney and Charlotte followed and they were shortly joined by Clive and Susan’s colleagues.

“Well. Have you both made a decision?” Susan asked directly.

“Yes. Susan, thank you very much for you business proposition. Esther and I have discussed it, and we would like to accept your offer.” Tom said formally.

“Wonderful” Susan clapped her hands together and made her way over to them to shake their hands. “Jordan – please could you go and grab that bottle of bubbly. We must celebrate.”

Once everyone had a drink in hand, Susan made a toast. “To Sanditon House!” which they all echoed.

“So, now we have a deal in principle, I have further proposition for you. We have a table booked at the annual Chartered Accountant’s dinner tonight, but unfortunately a few people have dropped out. The tickets are all bought and paid for, so I wondered if you would all care to join me and my team to make up the numbers? As we are to be business partners, it would be good to spend some more time getting to know each other, don’t you agree?”

“Susan, what an honour that would be.” Tom replied enthusiastically. “Thank you.”

“Yes, thank you Susan. So long as Charlotte does not mind me staying another night at hers, I’d love to come.” Esther added taking a sip of champagne.

“As you would expect, I am already going with my firm, but thank you for extending the invitation.” Clive said.

“Sidney? Charlotte?” Susan said. Sidney and Charlotte looked at each other briefly when their names were called together.

“I would be delighted to attend. Thank you.” Charlotte said.

“Count me in.” Sidney added. He did not particularly want to go, but if going meant he could have his conversation with Charlotte, he would endure it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear Sanditon Sisterhood  
> I know we are all feeling rather emotional right now about the latest news on Sanditon. I'm sorry I couldn't write you a happier update on this story. The truth is the story is all planned out, but is taking time to write. However, I can promise you happier times for Sidlotte if you keep reading! Don't lose hope. You are all wonderful! Big hugs xx


	29. The Accountants' Dinner

The dress code for the Chartered Accountants’ dinner was black tie. This left Esther with a dilemma as she had not packed any suitable dresses for the occasion, after all, she had only intended to come and stay for the weekend and had never expected to be invited out to such an event. Thankfully, Clara was a similar size, so she was able to borrow something appropriate. Charlotte went for a full length gold number with a plunging neckline which hugged her figure. Clara helped her style her hair up with a few loose curls which framed her face nicely. Esther decided on a black pleated midi dress and wore her hair down and wavy.

“I still can’t believe the first person you told about the deal was George!” Charlotte remarked.

“Why not? He did help us with the proposal.” Esther replied. She had text Babington straight after they had left Susan’s offices and they had continued texting for the whole journey back to Charlotte’s office.

“I think you like him more than you’re letting on.” Charlotte observed. Esther just smiled.

“For once Charlotte, I agree with your intuitions.” Clara said also smirking.

“What do you mean ‘for once’!?” Charlotte snapped back somewhat defensively, but also slightly in jest.

“Well… now don’t take this the wrong way, but sometimes you’re a bit slow on the uptake when it comes to these things.”

“Like when?”

“Like… like when a guy is hitting on you or checking you out. You don’t seem to pick up on in it. Take James for example. He was clearly in love with you for months, maybe even a year until you finally realised.” Clara explained.

“What a load of rubbish. We were just friends.” Charlotte said. Esther and Clara looked at her. “Come on guys, you must be joking.” They shook their heads at her. Charlotte’s eyes became wide as she started to reflect on what they were saying. Suddenly it all made sense. “Oh my God – he was in love with me for months! You mean, all those extra study groups and library sessions we had… that was… that was because… What the hell? Why did you not tell me?” Charlotte couldn’t believe this.

“Because it was… well… sweet and innocent and plus, to be honest, we never really thought James stood a chance! But you proved us wrong there.” Esther said.

“Shit! You’re right, I am clearly bad at this... Hang on a minute – why has this discussion shifted to me? Weren’t we just talking about George and Esther?” Charlotte looked at them suspiciously.

“Because don’t you think that maybe a similar thing is happening again with Sidney? Perhaps with your own feelings this time?” Esther said tentatively. Charlotte sighed.

“We just want you to be happy Char. Just think about it, OK?” Clara added. Charlotte nodded.

Susan had arranged for a taxi to pick up Esther and Charlotte. They were not entirely sure where the dinner was to be held, so it came as quite a shock as the taxi pulled up next to a hotel just down the road from the Monument. It was the first time Charlotte had ventured into this part of the city since her date with Sidney. She looked up at the tall structure, the memories of that night flooding her mind. She thought back to what her friends had said earlier. That night on the date, Sidney had said he was crazy about her. Had she felt the same? Did she still? Was she falling in love with him? Or was she already gone. Even if she was, the whole Lizzie thing troubled her. She was scared of being hurt and in denying the strength of her feelings for Sidney, she felt was able to protect her heart from being broken.

They walked into the hotel and were offered a complimentary glass of Prosecco. Charlotte was scanning the room looking for Susan. She saw her in the middle of the room wearing a stunning ruby red floor length dress. She was in mid conversation with Sidney and Tom. As if he could sense her presence, Sidney glanced over to Charlotte and had to do a double take. She was jaw droppingly gorgeous and he was so drawn to her that he instantly excused himself from Susan and Tom and meandered across the room towards her. Charlotte watched as Sidney approached her, his gaze never leaving hers and her heart began to race. He was looking exceedingly handsome in his tuxedo.

“Charlotte... Esther.” He added as an afterthought as he only had eyes for Charlotte.

Charlotte didn’t respond. Her mouth had gone dry. Esther glanced at Charlotte to see if she would say anything before responding. “Good evening Sidney.” Sidney was still looking at Charlotte oblivious to the fact he had been spoken to by Esther. “I’ll leave you two to it then.” she said defeatedly, but smiling to herself. She hoped that they would be able to work things out between them tonight, because it was obvious to the whole room that they were in love with each other. Esther left them and went off to speak to Susan and Tom.

The look Sidney was giving her suddenly made Charlotte feel nervous and insecure about her wardrobe choice. “Does it not suit me? Will it not do?” She asked him.

Sidney smiled at her softly. Did she not know she was the most beautiful person in the room right now? “It’ll do very well.” He replied. He suddenly felt very protective of her and knew he would find it hard to let her out of his sight tonight. He offered her his arm, which she took hesitantly, and led her over to Tom, Susan and Esther.

“Charlotte. You look mesmerising!” Susan said, kissing both her cheeks.

“Thank you Susan. As do you.” Charlotte replied.

“Oh tosh! Come with me and let me introduce you and Esther to a few people.” Susan led them away. Charlotte glanced back towards Sidney as she left. He was still looking at her admiringly.

Susan introduced them to a number of people which gave Esther the opportunity to talk about Sanditon House. Everyone was very polite and appeared interested in the business venture, particularly as it came with Susan’s backing. Susan was evidently a highly influential person and although she had had her reservations about the business deal, Charlotte was starting to understand the benefits Susan’s influence could bring to the project.

Charlotte was trying her best to be engaged in each conversation, but the truth was her mind was somewhat distracted. After nearly an hour of schmoozing, it was time for dinner. They re-joined Sidney and Tom and the rest of Susan’s party and sat down to eat. Sidney sat down on the opposite side of the table to Charlotte. Charlotte was nervous because from his position he could see nearly every move she made. She was at least thankful that there was an elaborate centre piece on the table which she was able hide behind every so often. The trouble was that whenever she would lift her eyes from her plate, she nearly always met his and each time it happened the room starting spinning. The extent of her nerves meant she had very little appetite. The fact the room was crowded did not help matters, plus the noise of the room was so great, that she could barely hear what the person next to her was saying, let alone the conversation across the table. She began to feel rather uncomfortable and dizzy, the two glasses of Prosecco and little food probably being a contributing factor.

Charlotte took her chance to escape after the dessert had been served. She hastily excused herself and went to the ladies dressing room. Thankfully the room was empty. She sank down into one of the chairs and took off her heels, grateful for a moment of solitude. After a couple of minutes the door opened and Susan walked in. Charlotte sat up straight when she entered.

“Please don’t get up on my account.” Susan said. Charlotte hesitantly sank back down into the chair. Susan went to sit down in a chair next to her and took off her heels too. “That’s better.” She sighed “I cannot blame you for seeking a moment of solitude for this is an altogether tedious gathering.”

Charlotte was surprised at this, but she couldn’t help but agree. “Yes. I’m sorry to say it Susan, but I’m not really in the mood for it tonight.”

“I noticed.” Susan acknowledged. Charlotte looked at her apologetically. “But there is no need to apologise for I am feeling the same!” They shared a smile. “If you don’t mind me saying Charlotte, you seem somewhat befuddled.”

“Do I?” Charlotte asked uncertainly.

“Uh huh.” Susan replied smiling, a knowing look in her eye.

Charlotte sighed and sat up a bit straighter. “It’s things between Sidney and I... They are somewhat... complicated and... unresolved.”

“Unresolved?” Susan asked inquisitively, leaning towards Charlotte slightly to indicate her interest in the tale. Charlotte wasn’t sure whether she should share these things with someone she barely knew, but there was something about Susan that told her she could trust her.

“Yes. Sidney and I met a few weeks ago, at a New Year’s party.” How was she going to explain the next bit? Susan was looking at her to continue. “We… well we…”

“You slept together?” Susan said for her.

Charlotte looked at her, embarrassed, her cheeks bright red. “Yes.” She replied sheepishly. She screwed up her eyes and slightly shook her head. “Anyway, I got a phone call the morning after… my sister, Alison, had been involved in a car crash and she was really poorly.”

“Oh, I am sorry.”

Charlotte sighed. “Sidney was amazing. He was so generous and kind to not just me, but my whole family. When Alison started getting better, we went on a date - and it was perfect. He took me up the Monument which had been decorated with fairly lights - it was so romantic. But at the end of the night, I got another call to say that Alison was poorly again.”

“How shocking! Is she alright?”

“Yes, she’s doing much better now. But as this had happened twice now, and both times I had been with Sidney, I… well I freaked out. Everything all got too much and I needed some space so I could focus on Alison’s recovery.”

“Understandable.”

“So I called things off between us, even though they had barely begun. We didn’t see each other again until last Friday. But then, well, I’m sure you saw the article in the Mirror.” Susan nodded. “So now I don’t know what’s going on because I’m so angry and jealous and upset. But I’m not angry with Sidney, I’m angry with myself. Angry for calling things off before they even got started and for pushing him away when all he has ever been is kind and thoughtful. Angry that I’ve probably lost my chance with him because his first love is back in town and she’s beautiful and rich and…”

“and she cheated on him.” Susan interrupted.

“Well… yes.” Charlotte admitted.

“Do you really think Sidney would go back to her after what she did to him?”

“I don’t know! Maybe… if he still loves her.” Charlotte took a deep breath. “It’s… it’s just exhausting Susan. I find I am more confused now than ever.”

“Well, that is quite a lot of drama in so short a time period, no wonder you’re exhausted and confused! But the important question to ask is – are you in love with him?” Susan asked curiously.

“Excuse me?” Charlotte was struck by Susan’s forthrightness.

“Are you in love with him?”

“I... I don’t know. I mean, I’ve only known him a few weeks.”

“And why should that matter?”

“Because this isn’t like me. And... and the intensity and speed of it all terrifies me... Sidney terrifies me.” Charlotte confessed.

“Sidney?”

“Yes, because he’s rich, handsome and press worthy, even if it is not his choice… I’m terrified of the effect he has on me. I can’t form a proper sentence, I can barely think straight and my legs turn to jelly whenever he’s around. I’m terrified that if we started something, he will just get bored because I am a nobody… Whilst I’m also terrified that he may have feelings for someone else because that would really hurt.” Susan was looking at her smiling and it suddenly hit Charlotte like a slap in the face (and it was not lost on her that this had happened for the second time today). “Oh God, I’m so completely and utterly in love with him.” She put her head in her hands.

Susan didn’t say a word, but instead put a gentle hand on her back for reassurance.

Charlotte sat still for a minute, taking in her sudden realisation – the second one of that evening. God she was hopeless when it came to love! Then she turned to Susan frowning slightly. “But surely if I’m in love, I shouldn’t feel so scared all the time?”

“Hmm. I think love can make us feel all sorts of things that do not make sense.” Susan replied wisely. At that point a group of ladies entered the dressing room and their conversation was brought to an end. “Let’s head back shall we? The stand-up comedian is due to start soon. Maybe you could do with a laugh?” Susan suggested.

“Yes. Good plan.” said Charlotte pulling herself together and putting her heels back on.

They made their way back to the bar area. Sidney and Tom were in a conversation with a couple of gentlemen and Susan led the way over to them. As they approached, Charlotte's heart began to race again. Sidney was smiling at her softly again and her stomach flipped. “Gentlemen. Forgive me for interrupting, but, Tom, there are some people I want you to meet. Would you come with me?” Susan asked.

“Of course. Excuse me.” Tom replied, still delighted at his good fortune.

This left Charlotte with Sidney and the other two gentlemen. She smiled at them a bit awkwardly.

“So, Sidney, who is this spellbinding creature you’ve brought with you this evening?” One of them asked, making no secret of the fact he was looking her up and down, which made Charlotte feel really uncomfortable. Clearly he’d had one too many whisky and cokes, but she did not appreciate being leered at, especially by a man that could easily be her father. Sidney tensed up beside her, equally rattled by the comment and behaviour, and he was conflicted about how to respond.

“This is Charlotte Heywood. She’s a solicitor at Thornton & Hale.” He said with gritted teeth.

“Oh, we have a lawyer in our midst.” The other gentleman said. “Who knew there were such fine specimens in the legal profession. Perhaps I should think about a career change, eh Parker?” The other gentleman joked, also gawping at Charlotte.

Charlotte looked at Sidney. His hands were balled up into fists and his jaw was clenched so tightly she thought it may snap in two. The look in his eye was murderous. Slightly worried about what Sidney might do, but also feeling angry herself, she retorted. “Actually, I’ll think you’ll find that women make up more than 60% of new entrants to the legal profession. The legal sector is much more forward thinking then you clearly appreciate as not only does it recognise the talents and abilities of the female sex which go way beyond their looks, but it is also no longer tolerant of small minded sexist arseholes like yourselves. So my advice is to think again before a career change. Excuse me.” Charlotte turned her back on them and walked away, fuming.

“Charlotte?” Sidney caught up with her. “That was brilliant!" His anger had disappeared and been replaced by a firm sense of admiration for Charlotte and the way she had stood up for herself.

“Seriously, what dickheads! Are these the sort of people you have to hang out with?” Charlotte asked incredulously, still marching away.

“Occasionally, yes.” Sidney admitted.

“How can you stand it?” Her cute little frown her returned.

“I don’t. I hate it. I was ready to thump them both before your outburst.”

“I noticed… well, no doubt I’m going to earn myself a reputation now as the outspoken feminist, but I’m afraid I couldn’t help myself.”

“And what’s wrong with being an outspoken feminist?” Sidney asked.

“I don’t know, but people don’t seem to like it. God, I need a drink.” They made their way over to the bar.

“What do you want?” Sidney asked.

“Anything. Make it strong.” Charlotte replied, still seething.

“Is that a good idea?” Sidney asked. Charlotte threw him a obstinate look. “OK” He said amused. “Two shots of sambuca please.”

As the bartender was getting their shots, another gentlemen approached Sidney. “Parker?”

Sidney looked over. “John Tilney!” The two gave each other a manly hug and back slap. “Fancy seeing you here. Let me introduce you to Charlotte Heywood.”

“Charlotte, nice to meet you. What firm are you with?”

“Oh, I’m not an accountant, I’m a lawyer.”

“And yet you choose to hang out with the most dreary bunch of people imaginable tonight?” Tilney teased, a glint in his eye. Charlotte was amused by his comment.

“Talking about dreary people, Charlotte just called Thompson and McGregor small minded sexist arseholes.” Sidney said admiringly, which made Charlotte blush.

Tilney’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Impressive! I’ve been wanting to call them that for years!” Charlotte smiled at him shyly. Charlotte and Sidney’s shots arrived. “Shots already. Now I know it must be a wearisome evening. I’ll have one too.” Tilney said turning to the bartender.

"So are you an accountant too?" Charlotte asked Tilney while they waited for the bartender to get the extra shot.

"Unfortunately yes. Please don't judge us too harshly by your experience with those chauvinist imbeciles over there. Most of us are much more pleasant human beings, albeit sometimes a bit dull!"

"Don't they say the same things about lawyers?" Charlotte added smiling.

"Hmm... Well if you're anything to go by Miss Heywood, then I would say lawyers are anything but dull." Charlotte blushed again at his comment. "So how do you two know each other?”

Charlotte looked at Sidney uncertainly. How was he going to explain this one this time? Her heart started to beat faster. “Charlotte is working with us on the Sanditon House Project.” Well, that was honest at least and very matter of fact.

“Ah yes, Susan has been talking of that a lot this evening. It is all rather intriguing. I may be tempted to visit.” Tilney said.

“Please do.” Charlotte added. “We’re planning on opening in May.”

“I’ll put it in the diary.” He said charmingly. “So Sidney I heard a rumour that you’ve moved house recently?” Charlotte’s head shot round to look at Sidney in surprise. Why hadn’t he mentioned this to her?

“Yes - I’ve moved to Greenwich.” He replied, noticing Charlotte’s reaction.

“Any particular reason for the move?” Tilney asked.

“Combination of wanting to live a bit further out the city and doing some economising. I’ve let out my flat in Knightsbridge for the time being.” Charlotte thought Sidney was being particularly blasé about it. Surely there was more to this move?

“Sidney Parker, economising. Who would have thought?” Charlotte said suspiciously. Sidney shifted slightly, clearly a bit uncomfortable. He smiled at her awkwardly.

“Well letting out your flat will no doubt deliver a decent income for you.” Tilney commented.

“That’s the plan.”

“You don’t think you’ll miss living in the city?” Tilney asked.

“Well, it was convenient, but Greenwich is a lot quieter which I like and the commute is easy.”

“And how’s the Tesla running?”

“Oh, I sold it.” Sidney replied.

Charlotte turned to him again. What the hell was going on? Why had he sold his car as well? “More economising?” She asked, a frown on her face. Sidney nodded.

“Shame, that was a good car! So have you replaced it?” Tilney asked.

“No. I don’t see a need for a car in London. If I need to go somewhere with work, I can hire a car instead.” Sidney replied flatly.

“Very true.”

Tilney’s shot arrived. They downed them together. The sambuca burnt the back of Charlotte’s throat, but it was just what she needed. The sudden revelation that Sidney have given up his flat and car was confounding her greatly. Why did he have a need to economise and why hadn’t he told her?

Just as they had put down their glasses, a woman went up to the microphone to introduce the stand-up comedian. As he began his act, Tilney excused himself to go and speak to some other acquaintances, leaving Sidney and Charlotte standing next to each other at the bar. Charlotte was looking ahead at the stand-up, pretending to listen, but in fact, the closeness of Sidney was distracting her and her head was full of the conversation they had just had. Sidney was also not paying attention to the stand-up. He was suddenly conscious that their hands were hanging down from their sides a mere inches from each other. It was as if a magnet was drawing his hand closer to hers and when the back of their hands finally touched, it was as if fireworks had gone off inside his stomach. Neither of them moved for a good few minutes as they relished the feel of skin against skin, until Sidney braved himself to move his so that their hands were palm to palm. Lightly he began drawing circles with his finger tips on the palm of Charlotte’s hand, and then brushed his fingers in between hers. The gentle caress was sensual. Charlotte close her yes, her lips parted and her breathing became laboured. Her head was telling her to move her hand away, but the pull of her body for his overruled her head and she kept her hand still.

After a while, Sidney turned to Charlotte, his eyes full of longing, he squeezed her hand and she opened her eyes and turned to look at him, the look in his eye taking her breath away.

“Wanna get some fresh air?” Sidney asked. Charlotte nodded furtively. He led her by the hand to the exit. As they got outside, they were both aware that the Monument was in their line of sight across the road. They glanced at it, hit with the memories of their date a few weeks ago. Charlotte shivered, the cold February air chilling her.

“Here.” Sidney took off his jacket and put it over her shoulders.

“Thanks. It seems like months have gone since we were last here and so much has changed.” Charlotte said thoughtfully.

“Some things haven’t changed, at least for me.” Sidney replied, turning to her. His look was serious and intense. He took both her hands in his and she looked at him expectantly. “You must know I’ve been wanting to talk to you all day. I know you’re angry with me about what the papers said and it’s OK. I’m angry too.”

“Sidney... I”

“Please can you just hear me out a minute?” Charlotte nodded and bit her lip to stop it trembling, partly from the cold and partly because of the anxiety at what he might say. “I did bump into Lizzie on Friday night.” Charlotte took a sharp intake of breath. “But nothing happened.” He added quickly his eyes pleading with hers to believe him. “She was trying to be friendly, but I was clear with her that there was nothing between us. I walked away, I promise..” He paused. Charlotte was still biting her lip and obviously unsure.

“But…but surely you must have felt something… I mean, she was your fiancée and you’ve not seen her for five years?”

“Yes, you’re right I did feel something.” Sidney replied. Charlotte’s heart sank. “I felt angry, angry that she even dared to speak to me after what she did to me. But then I remembered what you said on New Year’s eve and I found, I just didn’t care anymore. Because I don’t want anything to do with her.”

Charlotte was looking at him timidly. Sidney continued. “You must know by now that all the press attention, all the mingling in London Society, like tonight... it’s not what I enjoy. It’s just work to me. Most of the time I feel like an outlier because I don’t belong here. When I text you saying that I’d rather be watching Bridget Jones, it was the truth.” Charlotte’s heart beating so loudly, so was sure it was about to burst out her chest. “The only reason I’m here tonight is...” He looked at their hands and took a deep breath... “is so that I can spend some time with you.”

Charlotte was still biting her lip, her big beautiful brown eyes wide and fixed on his. “Please say something?” He said, giving her a shy smile.

“I don’t know Sidney. I’m so confused with what’s going on between us.” She said breathlessly.

Sidney looked at her concerned. “Can I tell you how I see it?” He asked. Charlotte nodded. “You said you wanted time and space and I got that. But I said I’d wait until you’re ready and I have been waiting.”

“I didn’t ask you to do that.”

“No, but that was my decision.” He stepped closer to her. “I still want this. I want us to be together.” Charlotte’s stomach flipped and she was sure she could feel the earth spinning, but that was probably the sambuca. She knew she wanted it too. Her conversation with Susan had made her realise that, but something was bothering her.

“If we are going to be together, you need to be honest with me about what’s going on with you.” She said cautiously.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, for a start, the Sanditon House project is in need of funds, and you don’t offer any from yourself.” It was more than a statement than a question. Sidney took a step back from her, but still held her hands.

“My investments are tied up at the moment.” Sidney said, looking down at his feet as he said it.

“Really? What does that even mean?” Sidney didn’t answer, but sighed, his eyes flicking to hers, but not meeting her gaze. “And then I’ve learnt tonight, that you sold your car and let your flat because you’re economising.” Sidney swallowed uncomfortably. “Has something happened?” Sidney was still refusing to meet her gaze. “Sidney? Are you in trouble? Financially?”

He looked up at her. “No. Nothing like that!”

“What then?”

Sidney took another deep breath. How would he explain this to her? After all, if they were going to be together, she needed to know the truth, but he was afraid of what she might think. “I... I took a gamble.” He replied.

Charlotte’s eyes widened in shock and she pulled her hands out of his. “You... you’ve been gambling?” Sidney suddenly realised the full implications of these ill-chosen words to Charlotte. “What the f*** Sidney!” Charlotte put her head in her hands in despair.

“No, not like that... I didn’t mean...” Sidney stuttered, but Charlotte wasn’t listening.

“Sidney how could you!” Charlotte started backing away further from him. “Didn’t you get anything from what I said about my brother? It’s so completely bloody irresponsible. You could have helped Tom! God! What were you thinking?” She turned away from him, clearly distressed and made to go back into the hotel.

“Charlotte! Wait! You have to let me explain.” Charlotte turned to face him. Oh God, he’d made her cry! This is the very last thing he wanted. Tears were falling down her cheeks and her chest was heaving and in that moment Sidney was completely speechless. Why couldn’t he find the words to properly explain himself?

“I can’t... I won’t do this with you.” She said resolutely, her voice cracking as she did so.

“Charlotte, I...”

“I’ve been down this road before and it’s too painful. I’m not doing it again. I could never be with someone who gambles away their family’s happiness.” She made to walk away from him again.

“Please, Charlotte...” He clutched at her arm to pull her back to him.

“No Sidney. I’m going home.” She said with determination, tears still spilling from her eyes. She put her hand over his and removed it from her arm, took off his jacket and handed it to him then turned away from him again.

“Charlotte!” He said in desperation.

She spun round quickly, angry this time. “What is it that you want from me?” She asked, her voice raised. He opened his mouth to say something, but the flashing anger in her eyes made his mind go blank again. “Please, be kind enough to let me go.” She pleaded with him.

Charlotte hurried off back inside the hotel and searched for Esther. She found her talking to Susan.

“Esther, I need to go home. Please can we leave,” Tears were still falling down her cheeks and she was brushing them away.

“Charlotte, whatever is the matter?” Susan asked.

“Please, can we just go.” She didn’t want to talk about. She never wanted to talk about it.

“Of course, come on, let’s get our coats.” Esther replied, turning to Susan with a concerned look.

Sidney was watching Charlotte from the other side of the room. He was breathing heavily, like he was in physical pain. How had things come to this? He was such an idiot! Why couldn’t he find the right words to say to her? He’d well and truly f***ed it up this time. Was there any way he could make her listen to him now, when he’d upset her so greatly, even if it was unintentional and based on a monumental misunderstanding? Feelings of complete hopelessness started to overwhelm him. He ordered a neat whisky at the bar, downed it and then made to go home without a goodbye to anyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please remember I have a plan...!


	30. Four weeks ago

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I couldn't leave it there, here's a bonus Chapter. Happy Leap Year!

**Sunday 19 th January 2020**

_“You deserve happiness in life and sometimes that means taking a risk. If you think you can find happiness with Charlotte, then you must do all you can to secure it.”_

Sidney’s idea had come to him in the middle of the night as he had been tossing and turning in bed, recalling his conversation the previous afternoon with Charlotte on the beach and then Mary’s words to him that evening. The idea was pretty preposterous, and initially he thought that he was somewhat deluded because of the sleep deprivation. But the more Sidney thought about it, the more determined he became to see his plan through. He knew his greatest challenge was yet to come. He was aware that he was a persuasive salesman and his negotiation skills were excellent, but this was a completely different deal to any he had ever negotiated before. He was going to have to be sensitive and maybe even vulnerable - and that would take some courage. But never had Sidney in his whole life been as sure as he was now that this was the right thing to do. Nervously he reached for his phone to make the call and arrange the meeting.

And so it was that at around 8pm that evening Sidney entered the pub to meet up with Charlotte’s parents. They were sat round a table with drinks already in hand as Sidney came over to them.

“Sidney!” Jane said, getting up and giving him a hug which took him by surprise.

“So you are Sidney Parker, the person we need to thank for sorting out the flat for us.” Charlotte’s Dad said, also standing to offer him a firm handshake.

“Pleasure to meet you Mr Heywood.” Sidney said politely.

“Please, call me Frank.” Sidney smiled at him.

“Very well, Frank. How is Alison?” Sidney enquired.

“Doing much better thank you.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Let me just get a drink and then we can talk.” Sidney walked over to the bar and ordered a pint and then re-joined the Heywoods.

“I must say, I was very surprised to receive your call this morning Sidney, particularly as you were most insistent that Charlotte must not join us for this… meeting. I thought, if you don’t mind me saying, that there was something going on between you two?” Jane said.

Sidney shifted awkwardly in his seat. If they were going to accept his proposition, they needed to know the truth of it. “Yes. Well, there is… or at least there was until yesterday.”

“What do you mean?” Jane prodded.

“She hasn’t confided in you?” Sidney asked, a bit surprised.

“Not really. She told me she was out with you on Friday night and you brought her to the hospital, but she wouldn’t tell me anything else.” Jane replied.

Sidney was starting to feel pretty uncomfortable and he was sure the room was getting hotter. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Charlotte’s Dad sizing he up. “Right. Well… erm…” He sighed. “It probably isn’t hard to guess that I… that I care a great deal for your daughter.”

Jane smiled and looked at her husband, but he did not smile back. “Yes, that much is obvious.”

“But we… we had a conversation yesterday afternoon. She wanted me to give her some… space while Alison is recovering.”

“You mean she ended things with you?” Frank commented. “And what? You want us to help you change her mind?”

Jane shot her husband an exasperated look. “Frank! How can you say such a thing!”

“No, Jane it’s fine.” Sidney turned to address Charlotte’s Dad. “Frank, I know you don’t know me and you don’t know my intentions, but please know that I only want the best for Charlotte. I will respect her choice and give her the space that she wants. That is not why I asked you here tonight.” 

“Then please enlighten us Mr Parker.” Frank said, his arms folded across his chest, his face full of suspicion. “Why did you ask us here tonight?”

“I have a proposition for you.” Sidney said bluntly.

“A proposition?” Frank asked.

“Yes. Charlotte mentioned that you are having some trouble sorting out Alison’s rehabilitation place? That the insurers were making things difficult?”

“Yes, well, to be honest, I don’t think we are going to get anywhere with it as we’re currently appealing their initial decision which was very much a no, but apparently it’s going to take some weeks to resolve.” Frank elaborated. “I think we’re going to have to sort out an NHS place, but that could be pretty much anywhere in the Country.”

“I see. Well, I have an alternative option. You see, I am on the board of directors of one of the top tech companies in the country. I have a large income and capital readily at my disposal. It’s more than I need or want. I want to offer to pay for Alison’s place at the Streatham rehab clinic you would like her to go to.”

“No… No Sidney, we cannot accept that.” Jane immediately answered wide eyed in shock. “It’s too much. Alison would need to be in the clinic for weeks, maybe even months. We’re talking thousands and thousands of pounds.”

“I’m aware of the costs.” Sidney responded “And it would not be an issue.”

“No, this is madness! There’s no way Charlotte would let you do this!” Frank added.

“Which is why I didn’t invite her here.” Sidney acknowledged. “I don’t want her to feel indebted to me in any way. If you were to accept my offer, she mustn’t know about it, particularly as things are so… uncertain between us.”

“On that at least, we would be agreed. I wouldn’t want Charlotte beholden to you.” Frank said. “But Sidney, this doesn’t make any sense. What is in this for you?”

“Just knowing that I’m doing something to help Charlotte is enough. I know that she is finding everything that is happening with Alison right now pretty overwhelming and scary. I think knowing that Alison is getting the best care possible will put her mind at ease.”

“But isn’t this a huge risk… a massive gamble for you? To fork out thousands of pounds on the basis you care for someone who you have no guarantee will take you back? It seems damn foolish to me.”

“Yes. You’re right it is.” Sidney conceded. “But Charlotte is worth the risk – and aren’t we all fools when it comes to love?” Sidney blushed when he said this. He hadn’t meant to confess he was in love with Charlotte to her parents, but now there was no taking it back.

Jane looked at Sidney and smiled. “You are in love with her?” She said gently.

Sidney nodded shyly. “Look, I get that this is out of the blue and may seem completely mad, but this is something I want to do for Charlotte, for Alison, for your family. And I don’t ask or want anything in return. Please will you let me help you?”

Jane looked at her husband. “Frank?”

“I don’t know… I’m not comfortable with this. I’m reluctant to accept charity from someone I’ve just met.” He said honestly and firmly.

“But Frank, this is for Alison. With Sidney’s backing we can get her the best care possible – give her the best possible chance of a full recovery.”

There was a long pause. Jane and Sidney were looking at Frank impatiently.

Frank sighed. “Very well.”

“We have a deal then?” Sidney said disbelievingly.

“Yes we have a deal.” Frank said reaching over and shaking Sidney’s hand again.

“I’ll need a couple of days to release some funds for the deposit and the first month of fees. I have your number Jane, so I’ll confirm when everything is in place.”

“Very good. And we must swear not to tell Charlotte.” Frank said. “Once Alison’s place is secured, we… we can tell her the insurance came through.”

“Agreed.” Sidney said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well done for all who worked this out! Had to give Sidney a Darcy moment!


	31. Brothers and Sisters

**Tuesday 18 February 2020**

“We’ve set a date!” Georgie said as she practically skipped into work, a wide smile on her face.

“Oh great.” Charlotte said, trying to sound enthusiastic.

“Yes! 1st August – put it in the diary!”

“On it.” She said taking out her phone and entering the date into her calendar. She was expecting to see a missed call from Sidney, or maybe even a text, but he’d not tried to contact her at all since their argument last night and she felt a pang of disappointment.

“The wedding’s going to be in Oxford at Brasenose College because Otis is an alumni.”

“Oh, I’ve never been to Oxford, but I’ve always wanted to visit the colleges.”

“It’s a beautiful place.” A dreamy look came over Georgie for a moment, until she remembered where she was. “Anyway, so now you know the date, we have a lot of work to do.”

“We do?” Charlotte asked. She had been a bridesmaid at Grant and Sarah’s wedding, but she hadn’t been involved in much of the preparation.

“Yes. First on the list is wedding dress shopping. Are you free Saturday?”

“Think so.” Charlotte did not feel much up for looking at wedding dresses, but she would endeavour to perk up for Georgie’s sake.

“Great! So how did it go yesterday?” Georgie asked.

“Yesterday?”

“You know, the pitch? I didn’t get to catch up with you.”

“Oh… yes, sorry. Really well, but instead of a loan, the fund is going to buy shares in Sanditon House Limited.”

“Oh wow, that’s different.”

“Yes. We’re waiting on the Heads of Terms from Susan’s legal team as they’re doing a first draft.”

“Susan?”

“The fund manager. Still got a few details to sort out and negotiate, but hopefully it’ll all be concluded quickly so that everything can get in place by the launch date.” Charlotte explained.

“So looks like it will be a busy couple of weeks for you then.”

“Yes, well if Meg lets me take the lead.”

“Why wouldn’t she?” Charlotte shrugged. Georgie could sense Charlotte was a bit off. “Is everything alright Charlotte?” She asked.

“Yes, just got lots of work to catch up on as I was out all day yesterday with the pitch.” She replied unconvincingly.

“OK… Well, I won’t keep you then.” Georgie walked back to her desk whilst looking at her sceptically.

Charlotte took out her phone again and hovered over Sidney’s number. She’d sobbed for what felt like hours when they had got home last night. Esther and Clara had tried to get her to talk, but she wouldn’t. She didn’t want to talk about it. Now, in the cold light of day she wondered whether she had been too hard on him? Had she overreacted to his confession that he had gambled? Tears were prickling in the corners of her eyes and lumped formed in her throat. She knew she should have let Sidney explain himself, but the trouble was the problems with her brother a few years ago still felt raw and painful. She’d gone down a pretty dark path back then and she didn’t think she had the strength to go through it all again. Charlotte took a deep breath to try and get herself together and then turned off her phone.

Meghan got into the office half an hour later and demanded the full low down about the pitch and what the next steps were. After Charlotte had explained the current status, Meg turned to her. “Well Charlotte, looks like you’ve got this covered. Well done.”

“Does that mean, you’re letting me take the lead?” Charlotte asked tentatively.

“Oh course. Just keep me up to date with what’s going on, and if you are unsure of anything, just ask.”

Charlotte gave her first genuine smile for the first time in the last 12 hours. “Thank you Meg. I won’t let you down.”

****************

Esther caught the train back to Sanditon later that morning. She was eager to see Edward and hoped he had behaved himself over the last few days whilst she was away. And what a few days it had been! It was all so… unexpected. Not only the business deal with Susan, but also her date and blossoming friendship with Babington. She was thinking of him a lot more often than she would have liked and they had been texting a lot, mainly about the project, but also about some other things. Esther wondered when she might see him again. The launch, most likely, which was still months away. The thought of not seeing him for months made her feel rather dejected and irritated at the same time.

Esther arrived at Sanditon House around midday and let herself inside her wing of the house. When she entered the living room, she couldn’t believe what her eyes were seeing. The place was a tip. There were takeaway boxes, empty tequila bottles and an assortment of clothes strewn across the floor and the sofas. The sight that really made her gut clench was a flat mirror which was placed on the table and Esther could see traces of white powder on it. She called out uncertainly, not knowing what sort of state Edward would be in. “Edward? Are you home?”

The odour in the room was a foul mixture of booze and gone off food. Feeling rather sick from both the shock and the stench, Esther hastily went to the windows to open it and breathe in some fresh air. Once the nausea had passed, she made her way to Edward’s bedroom door which was shut and knocked. “Edward, are you in there?” There was no response. She opened the door hesitantly and gasped. Edward was lying asleep in the middle of the four poster bed and in his arms either side of him were two young naked women. None of them moved as she entered, no doubt due to the after effects of the combination of drug use and booze last night. She stood in shock for a moment, not knowing what to do. Her hands were shaking and her legs were going numb. She finally summoned the courage to confront them.

“Edward Denham.” Esther shouted. Edward’s eyes flickered open and his two companions started to stir from their slumber. Edward looked at her, confused for a minute, but then the realisation of the predicament Esther had caught him in made his eyes widen in shame.

“Esther… you’re home early.” Edward’s words made the girls look around. Both of them blushed and pulled the covers up to hide themselves.

“Actually, I think you’ll find that I have arrived at exactly the time I said I would. It appears you have overslept.” Esther said obstinately.

“Ah…” was all the Edward could managed in response as he glanced nervously side to side at his companions.

Esther addressed the girls. “Get dressed and leave please. I’ll give you five minutes.” And she stormed out the room, threw the jumble of clothes which had been left in the living room at them and then slammed the door. The girls did as they were instructed. As Esther saw them out and closed the front door behind them, she turned to Edward. If looks could kill, Edward would have been a dead man right there and then.

“So is this what you have been doing all weekend? Drinking, taking drugs and picking up girls and taking them back to my house? Look at the state of it!” Her voice was quiet, but the vexation in her voice was unmissable.

“Your house? Yes, I am very aware this is YOUR house. Our dear Aunt could not have been clearer on that account in her will.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You… you, Esther, got everything and I… I got sod all!” Edward said, his temper rising.

“So this is what it is all about then? The drink, the drugs, the women - it all stems from your jealously that I inherited our Aunt’s estate but you did not? Is this your attempt to get back at me, by trashing the place?” Edward didn’t answer but looked at the floor, his fists clenched. “You cannot hold me responsible for our Aunt’s last wishes Edward. She knew her own mind, even at the end.”

“Oh yes I can.” He replied venomously as he raised his eyes to hers. “You ran back to her when she was ill. Nursed her on her deathbed. Who knows what malicious seeds you sowed about me while she was on death’s door to prevent me from inheriting anything!”

Esther was horrified at this accusation. “You cannot think that I would possibly do that! Don’t you know me at all? All I did was give a dying woman the respect and dignity that anyone would deserve in that condition.”

“Oh, look what we have here - Esther the benevolent.” Edward mocked.

“I never asked for this! I never wanted this house! You know how miserable we were living here, and it was even worse when you left.”

“And yet here you are… quite the businesswoman making a profit from our Aunt’s demise.”

That hurt Esther. “This is not about profit! This is about me… me doing something worthwhile. This project - it’s given me a purpose in life which I never had growing up. It’s been good for me. It makes me happy to know that I am continuing our family’s legacy.” Esther explained.

“Our family? This was never my family! You were Aunt Elizabeth’s blood relative. I was just an inconvenience.” Edward snapped.

“Don’t say that Edward. I know she did not relish being our guardian, but you were not the only one she treated with disdain. I got an equal measure of it. Aunt Elizabeth was a cruel, miserly old woman. But even you must acknowledge that she mellowed in the couple of years before her death. You even reconciled with her.”

“Yes, and what good did that get me? I’m still penniless.”

Esther thought Edward’s words were despicable. “Edward! Even now that is all you care about? The wretched money. Can’t you see what it’s doing to you? Haven’t you realised what a foul corrupting cancer it is?”

“Yes you would say that because you have never found yourself poor and destitute, living off the streets. You have always had everything you ever wanted.”

“No I have not… I did not have you! You left me!” Tears started filling her eyes. “I was still a child and you left me and I had no-one. Do you know how many nights I cried myself to sleep after you ran away?” She was fighting the tears, urging them not to trickle down her face. She would not give him the satisfaction of making her cry. “You chose to leave and now you must live with the consequences.”

Noticing the tears in her eyes, Edward softened slightly. He started to make his way towards her and Esther flinched backwards. She was both afraid of him and furious with him.

“Esther, you know I would never hurt you!” Edward said pleadingly.

“I don’t think I know you at all anymore.” She took a few deep breaths, her chest heaving, then after collecting herself, although her hands were still shaking, said. “You cannot stay here.”

“Esther…” Edward tried to protest.

“No Edward. I told you I would not tolerate drugs in my house. I have given you ample chance to redeem yourself, but this cannot go on.”

“But Esther, I have nowhere else to go. Will you really leave your brother to fend for himself on the streets?”

“Step-brother.” Esther said with contempt. “And I will give you some money so you can lodge somewhere for a while, but after that, unless you change your ways, that’s it. I’ll leave the cash for you to pick up at Northanger Hotel later today.” She was not going to leave him destitute, but she could not prop him up forever. “I’m… I’m going for a walk. When I get back, I want you gone.” She turned and walked out the door, and only when it had shut behind her did the tears start to fall.

**************

Charlotte went to visit Alison that evening. The rehab clinic Alison was staying at had the most incredible facilities. There was an indoor pool, gym and sensory garden. Each patient’s room was comfortable and cosy. Alison’s key worker, Helen, who was responsible for her welfare and her recovery process, had put together a programme for her over the next few weeks. She had physiotherapy sessions most days and a few group and 121 sessions throughout the week to help her with the memory problems she was experiencing, along with the other emotional and cognitive effects of her injury. As well as having a keyworker, Alison was looked after by a team of doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants.

Whilst Alison was doing a lot better, she was having difficulty processing certain information and also she struggled to sometimes find the right words when she was trying to say something. She would often get very frustrated and confused when this happened and start to panic. It was heart wrenching to see. But the staff at the clinic were fantastic and treated her with such gentleness and care. Despite what sometimes seemed like insurmountable hurdles, Alison was making good progress.

Since Charlotte had started visiting Alison, she was impressed that her Dad’s insurance had secured Alison’s place at such a fantastic facility. She dreaded to think what it would cost if someone were to finance it privately. If the prices of staying as a guest (which Alison’s boyfriend Mark had done on a couple of occasions) were anything to go by, it must be in the tens of thousands.

She headed to reception to sign in and met Helen in the hallway.

“Charlotte! Oh Alison will be happy to see you.”

“How is she today?” Charlotte asked nervously.

“Really well. She’s been swimming this morning with the physio, then this afternoon we had some dogs come in and meet the patients which they all loved. She’s eaten well too.”

“That’s good to hear.” Charlotte replied, somewhat relieved.

“She’s in the lounge.”

“Thanks.”

Charlotte made her way to the lounge and looked in. Alison was curled up in an arm chair watching TV with some of the other patients. She smiled when she saw her. There was definitely more colour in her cheeks, the gaunt look she’d had as a result of the infection having pretty much faded. She walked over to her, crouched down next to the chair and touched her arm gently.

“Hi Ali.” She said.

Alison looked at her. “Lottie!” She said delightedly, a big smile on her face which Charlotte couldn’t help but return.

“Come on, let’s go to your room and catch up.” Charlotte suggested. They made their way down the corridor to Alison’s room, Charlotte supporting Alison with one arm as she was still a bit wobbly on her feet.

“Have you had a nice day?” Charlotte asked.

“Yes. I went swimming this morning with the physio. The exercises are so much easier in the water! My arm is still useless though.” She held it up to make a point.

“I know it’s frustrating, but you are making so much progress Ali. I’m really proud of you!” Charlotte said encouragingly.

“Thanks Lottie. I am glad to see you. Why couldn’t you visit yesterday?” Alison asked.

“Oh… I had to go out with work.” A melancholy look passed over Charlotte’s face.

“What’s the matter?” Alison asked.

“Nothing.” Charlotte said looking at her and smiling.

“Lottie, I may have had a bump to the head, but I know you. That look you just gave means something’s up.” Alison said knowingly.

Charlotte sighed. “OK. Maybe it’s time to fill you in. Let’s make a cup of tea and I’ll tell you everything.”

They made a cup of tea in her room and sat down the arm chairs in Alison’s room.

“So?” Alison asked eagerly.

Charlotte took a deep breath. “I… I hooked up with a guy on New Year’s eve.”

“No way!” Alison was shocked.

“I know!” Charlotte grinned shyly, her cheeks going red.

“But you’re the… the, I dunno… sensible one of us!”

“Shocking huh?”

“Yes! Are you going to tell me his name?”

“Sidney Parker.” Saying his name stung a little.

“Sidney Parker? I’m sure I’ve heard that name before.” Alison pondered.

“Probably the newspapers – he was engaged to Lizzie Barnes five years ago.”

“He was? God! So he’s famous?” Alison said, amazed.

“Not really. He’s director of a tech company and well known in London circles, but he’s not a celebrity. He’s a businessman.”

“I wonder where I’ve heard his name before then? Can’t have read it in the paper.” Alison started to get a bit agitated.

“Perhaps it was whilst you were in Lewes Hospital? You see Sidney is Tom Parker’s brother – the guy that’s in partnership with Esther for the Sanditon House project?”

“Oh yes, I remember that. Have I met him?”

“Who?”

“Sidney.”

“No you haven’t.”

“Do you have a photo of him?”

“Actually, yes I do. On my phone.” Charlotte took out her phone and found the photo of Sidney and the Parker children he’d sent her.

“Are these his kids?” Alison asked.

“No, they’re his nieces and nephews – Tom’s kids.”

“Oh I see. You know, he does look familiar. Are you sure I haven’t met him?”

“I’m pretty sure you haven’t. He came with me to the hospital once, but he waited in reception.”

“He’s very handsome.”

Charlotte started to get butterflies just thinking about him. “Yes, he is.”

“I’m guessing if you’ve got his photo on your phone, you must have met up with him more than just the once?”

“Yes. He came to Sanditon when you were in hospital.”

“He did?”

“And he took me out on a date.”

“Where did you go?”

Charlotte couldn’t help but smile as she recalled the perfect evening she’d spent with Sidney. “We went out for dinner at this amazing Tapas restaurant in South Bank. Honest to God, I have never tasted food like it. Then he took me ice skating at the Tower of London. And for the finale of the date, he’d arranged for us to go up the Monument. He’d put fairy lights and battery powered candles everywhere and we sat on beanbags and drank hot chocolate whilst looking at the views.”

“Oh wow – how romantic.”

“It was. It was… perfect.” Charlotte looked sad again.

“So if it was perfect, why are you so sad?”

“Because… because it turns out he wasn’t who I thought he was.” Tears started to fill Charlotte’s eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“He… he seems to have lost a lot of money, gambling.”

“Oh.”

There was silence for a moment as Alison took in the full meaning behind Charlotte’s words. If Sidney had been gambling, she knew there was no chance for them.

“Lottie?”

“Yes lovely.”

“Do you love him?”

Charlotte’s eyes glazed over again and this time she could not stop the tears from coming. “Yes” she whispered. “Yes I do. Which is why it hurts all the more.”

Alison pulled her in for a hug and Charlotte sobbed.


	32. Another trip to Sanditon

As part the negotiation and due diligence process for the investment, Susan and her team requested a visit to Sanditon House. It was hoped that a deal could be concluded swiftly, therefore the visit was arranged for Friday that same week. Tom was practically bouncing off the walls with nervous anticipation which really tried everyone’s patience. He had demanded that Sidney join them for the visit, but having already spent two days away from his own work because of the project, a further day created some havoc in terms of Sidney’s diary appointments. Thankfully he was owed rather a lot of TOIL. He would normally never claim this given his senior position, but Tom was so insistent, that he didn’t really have any other choice. Sidney’s secretary worked her magic to rearrange the appointments for the following week and seeing as it had been over a month since he had seen his nieces and nephews, he decided to make a weekend of it.

Sidney was secretly hoping that spending time with the children would distract him from the heartache he was feeling over Charlotte. He wondered whether she would be joining them for Susan’s visit. He was longing to see her, to reconcile, to properly explain himself. But he was angry, so angry at her for running away from him without hearing him out. Even more than that, he was angry with himself for not finding the right words to explain himself. But what would he say? He had made a promise to Charlotte’s parents that he wouldn’t tell her about paying for Alison’s place at the rehab centre and he was worried that if Charlotte knew, she would despise him even more than she did now. It seemed like a completely hopeless situation and one that, at present, he couldn’t see a way out of.

When Sidney mentioned to Babington over lunch that week that he was going to Sanditon for the weekend, Babington asked to join him as he could not pass up an opportunity to see Esther. He was enjoying the frequent communication between them and was glad that Esther had at least accepted his friendship for now. He was hoping that he might find some time to be alone with her this weekend. He sent her a text to let her know his intentions.

_Babington: So I was thinking of coming to Sanditon this weekend with Sidney. I know you’ll be tied up quite a bit with Susan’s visit on Friday, but will you have any time to meet up?_

_Esther: Perhaps. I’ll let you know once we’ve finished the itinerary._

_Babington: OK. Don’t seem too keen will you!_ _😉_

_Esther: I won’t. I’ve got a reputation to uphold._

_Babington: True. But can you at least pencil me for Saturday night for now?_

_Esther: Very well._

“Are we going to have a conversation, or are you just going to sit texting all lunchtime?” Sidney said sulkily.

“Sorry. Just sorting out meeting up with Esther.” Said Babington, still looking at his phone.

“Right.” Sidney didn’t much feel like talking about someone else’s love life when his own was pretty depressing.

“Will Charlotte be coming on Friday?” Babington asked. Just hearing her name made Sidney physically ache inside.

“I don’t know.” He tried to look unconcerned, but he was sure Babington could see right through him. Sure enough, seeing that Sidney was failing to meet his eye and engage fully in this topic of conversation, Babington asked.

“I thought things were back on track with you two?”

“What made you think that?” Sidney replied, whipping his head round to face him with a strained expression.

“All the flirting last week! It was kind of obvious you were both still into each other.”

“Well, certain events have happened since then.” Sidney replied looking down at his lunch, but the subject matter had made him lose his appetite.

“Events?”

“I’d rather not talk about it.” Sidney snapped back, more harshly than he intended.

“OK… If that’s what you wish.” Babington said, realising that he had hit a nerve, but he was also reluctant to completely dismiss the subject matter entirely. “It’s only that last time we spoke, you seemed quite determined to keep pursuing her despite her wanting space.”

Sidney sighed. “Yeah, well I think I’ve well and truly f***ed it up this time.” He pushed his lunch away, the knot in his stomach making the thought of food unappealing.

“That can’t be true! Surely whatever it is, you can work it out?”

“I don’t think so. Even though I had the best of intentions, I’m not convinced she’s ever going to talk to me again.” He was beginning to resign himself to his fate.

Babington regarded his friend. His defeatist attitude worried him. He had been witness to the dark path Sidney had gone down after everything that happened with Lizzie and hoped he would not want to see a repeat of it with Charlotte. “Well I guess you’re just going to have to work out if she’s worth it, because if she is – then you need to fix this.”

“Oh she’s worth it. Trouble is I don’t know how to fix it.”

“Well then, work it out man!”

************

As well as coping with Tom, Esther was feeling pretty distraught about the Edward debacle. Whilst putting everything in place for Susan’s visit was a welcome diversion, she was still incredibly upset with how things had worked out. She hadn’t told anyone what had happened, and the burden of keeping it to herself was becoming quite insufferable. The person she would normally confide in was Charlotte, but she was obviously going through her own thing with Sidney (even though she wouldn’t tell her what that was) and so, for now, it seemed best to just try and ignore it and carry on.

Still, knowing that Babington was coming for the weekend had lifted Esther’s spirits slightly, although she wouldn’t let him know that! When she had read Babington’s text, she had got butterflies in her stomach. She had prepared herself that she wasn’t going to see him again for a few months, so the fact he was coming within a week of their date was very unexpected… although not entirely unwelcome. Esther still had many reservations about Babington, but she had to admit that she enjoyed his company so she hadn’t fully dismissed the idea as yet…

And so it was that everyone descended on Sanditon that Friday morning. Esther and Tom had arranged for Susan and her team to be taken by taxi from the train station to Sanditon House where the first thing on the agenda was a tour. Sidney was to make his own way there and as he had not replaced his car, Babington had driven them to Sanditon that morning. Babington went off to enjoy the spa at the hotel while Sidney met Esther and Tom at Sanditon House for a pre-meeting where he was updated with the itinerary for the day while they waited for the others to arrive. Soon enough, the buzzer to the gate went off and Esther let the taxi in through the gates. Sidney was nervous with anticipation as to whether Charlotte would be accompanying them.

Noticing his twitchiness, Esther said. “She’s not coming you know.”

Sidney’s heart sank at Esther’s words, but he pretended to feign ignorance “Who?”

“You know who.” Esther said looking at him meaningfully. Sidney thought that he would be relieved that Charlotte wasn’t coming, but in reality what he really felt was severe disappointment.

Susan, Jordan and Reg enjoyed a tour of the gardens and the house. Esther and Tom shared their plans and it was useful for the team to visualise how it would all be set up. Susan was most interested in the history of the house and the artefacts they had found in the attics. As they were interested in every detail, the tour took much of the morning. Susan and her team were impressed with the progress being made and they shared their thoughts and advice on each feature of the house and gardens on to how best to present it. Conversations were had about staffing, events and marketing, all of which were met with enthusiasm.

“I have to say Esther, this place is a true gem.” Susan said to Esther as they were wandering round the deer park. “It has such a fascinating history and some truly wonderful features. The gardens, the deer, various artefacts and that incredible floor in the drawing room. Yes there is lots to go on here. I am thrilled that you want to have us on board.”

“The feeling is mutual. I’m so pleased you like the house!” Esther said, somewhat relieved everything was going to plan.

“Like it – I love it!” Susan said gleefully.

“Susan, Esther – we really must think about going soon. I’ve booked lunch for one o’clock at the hotel.” Tom interrupted.

Susan and Esther looked at each other and smiled. Tom had been a very enthusiast participant in the tour! Sidney, on the other hand, had barely said a word.

“Very well, lead the way Tom.” Susan said, then turning to Sidney added. “Sidney – may I have a word?” Esther and Tom walked off with Jordan and Reg while Sidney and Susan waited behind. Once they were out of earshot, Susan turned to Sidney “You’ve been very quiet today Mr Parker.” She said eyeing him suspiciously.

“Well, I have to confess I know little about the house. This is Esther and Tom’s area of expertise. I know more about the business plan and finances.” Sidney answered.

“Is that really why you are so withdrawn? Are you sure you aren’t lamenting the absence for a certain young lady?” Sidney’s eyes widened in surprise at Susan’s question. How did Susan know these things? He opened his mouth to speak, but found he didn’t have the words to respond. He looked at the floor and blushed, clearly embarrassed. “I thought as much.” Susan admitted.

“How…”

“How did I know?” Susan helped him finish his sentence.

“Yes.” Sidney gulped.

“Well, let’s just say female intuition.”

“Right…”

“I don’t know what’s happened between you, but you must not lose heart. Charlotte has had a lot to deal with these past few weeks. Be patient with her. I’m know she’ll come round.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because when it comes to love, there is no such thing as a foregone conclusion. And I am never wrong about these things.” She walked off to join the others, leaving Sidney dumbfounded.

Lunch was a relaxed affair and after a delicious three course meal in the hotel’s restaurant, Susan, Jordan and Reg left to catch the train back to London. All parties were content with the way the day had gone. All it seemed that was left was for the lawyers to seal the deal.

***********

Esther walked nervously into the pub on Saturday night to meet Babington. Even though this was supposed to just be a friendly meet up, she had made a bit of an effort with her wardrobe choice, hair and makeup. She spotted Babington at the bar and made towards him. He looked over to her and smiled and she couldn’t help but smile in return.

“Esther!” He said kissing both her cheeks.

“Babington. I trust you are well.”

“Very well thank you. Yourself?”

“Yes, fine…” She replied, but behind her smiles, there was sadness in her eyes and Babington could sense it.

“What can I get you?” He asked.

“Gin and tonic please.”

Babington got the drinks and they headed to a table by the window. It was karaoke night and the DJ had just invited punters to start selecting songs.

“Are you a karaoke fan?” Babington asked her.

“Only after I’ve had a few.”

“Same. Perhaps we can have a go after a couple of rounds then?”

“Hmm... You never know I might surprise you.” Esther replied suggestively as she took a sip from her drink.

Did she know how alluring she was? The tone of her voice, the look in her eye? God he was lost! He quickly changed the topic of conversation. “Sidney said that Susan’s visit was a success.”

“Yes, it worked out rather perfectly. We just need Charlotte to finalise the paperwork.”

“Has… has Charlotte spoken to you about Sidney?” Babington asked.

“No. She was terribly upset after the accountant’s dinner on Monday, but she won’t tell me what happened between them.” Esther looked concerned.

“Sidney’s the same. He seems to think he’s messed things up and it can’t be fixed.”

“I don’t see what he could have done that’s so terrible! From what I have seen and heard, all he’s ever been is kind to Charlotte. The whole thing is excruciating. I just want to bang their heads together.” Esther said frustratingly.

“Ha. Yes, I know what you mean. I guess we’ll just have to leave them to work it out.”

“Well, that’s the only thing we can do if they won’t tell us what’s happened.”

“True…” There was a slightly awkward pause. “I haven’t seen Edward about town. How is he doing?” Babington asked. A shadow fell across Esther’s face.

“Oh… no, well he’s gone.”

“Gone where?”

“I don’t actually know.” Esther replied, looking into her drink and not meeting Babington’s eyes.

“Has something happened?” She looked back up at him and tears started to fill her eyes. “It’s OK, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“No, it may actually help to talk about it.” Esther replied. She took a deep breath to try and stop the tears from falling and to ease the lump in her throat. “When I came home from London on Tuesday, Edward… well, he’d pretty much trashed my place. He’d had quite the party with a couple of girls who were still in his bed. They’d been taking drugs and drinking. Once the girls had left, we argued and I threw him out. I haven’t seen him since.” Esther took another deep breath and a few tears fell down her cheeks which she wiped away with her hands. “Turns out that he only wanted to be reconciled with me and my Aunt because of the money… He doesn’t really care for me at all.” She let out a little sob and looked away. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologise.” Babington said, reaching for her hand. When he touched her, she closed her eyes as more tears fell, but she did not pull her hand away. “You’ve done nothing wrong. You gave him a second chance. You trusted him while you were away. And now he has abused that trust in ways I can only imagine.” Babington said angrily. “I only hope that now he has gone, you may be free from his pernicious influence.”

Esther nodded, turned back to face him and said in a quiet voice. “He is still my brother, I can’t just abandon him.”

“Then you are better than he is, because isn’t that what he did to you?” Babington retorted, his anger at Edward still evident.

“Yes, you’re right, he did leave me. But I never thought he intended to hurt me… until now. God, I really didn’t want to cry in front of you, sorry.” Esther said, embarrassed.

“Please stop apologising.” Babington replied, stroking her hand with his thumb. Her hands was warm and soft and Esther shivered slightly at his touch. “Didn’t I say that I would be a friend to you? And aren’t friends allowed to cry in front of each other?”

Esther smiled shyly. “You are too kind to me George.”

“I can be meaner if you want?” He said cheekily.

Esther let out a short giggle as she wiped away the last of her tears with her free hand. “I don’t think it’s in your nature.”

“Well, you didn’t know me as a teenager.”

“That doesn’t count. All teenagers are mean!”

“Fair enough.” He chuckled. Babington was suddenly conscious that he was still holding Esther’s hand, but he was unable to let go. He saw Esther’s eyes flick towards their conjoined hands and he held his breath to see whether she would pull away from him, but she did not. This made his heart beat faster and gave him the first glimmer of hope that perhaps there may be a chance for more than friendship between them. He looked at her softly. Words escaped him as he gazed at her. She was truly the most remarkable women he had ever met.

“You know Babington, I really wasn’t expecting this.” Esther said shyly.

Babington’s mouth started to get dry. “Expecting what?”

Esther blushed. Her head was telling her that she didn’t want to be vulnerable with him. Every time she had been vulnerable with the men in her life before, they had ended up leaving. But there was something about him that was drawing her in and her heart was pounding in her ears.

“Expecting… expecting to befriend the son of an Earl.” She quickly said, and released her hand from his, her head having overruled her heart for the time being.

Babington instantly felt bereft of the physical contact, but now he understood Esther, he knew why she had withdrawn from him and he was not afraid. “I’m not going anywhere you know.” He said gently.

She sighed “Babington. You don’t want to be with someone like me.”

“I don’t?”

“No. You’re too good for me.”

“I said I could be meaner…” He joked.

Esther smiled. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

“I know what you meant, but I don’t happen to agree with you. I’m just hoping that you’ll let me at least try to prove you wrong.”

Esther shook her head, still smiling at him. “You are impossible!”

“I will take that as a compliment.” He said, finishing off his pint.

“Well it wasn’t meant as one.”

“I know… Another drink?”

“Yes – why not!”

After a couple more rounds and a lot of giggling, Babington suggested that they have a go at karaoke. Esther was reluctant at first, but he took her hand and led her up to choose a song. They decided on Taylor Swift, Shake It Off. Esther took Babington quite by surprise with how much she got into the song. Not only did she sing it out with all she could get, but she was also “shaking it” all over the place! He tried to keep up with her, but she was really in her element and he spent most of the song laughing out loud at the joy of seeing her release her inhibitions.

When the song had finished Babington turned to her and said. “Wow – just wow!”

Esther smiled at him teasingly. “Can it be Babington that you are lost for words?”

“Yes, I believe I am! I had no idea you were so… animated.” He felt he had to choose his words carefully.

“Well if you will keep buying me drinks – then these are the consequences.” She suddenly self conscious and bit her lip.

“Perhaps then, it is time to call it a night. Can I walk you home?” He asked very gentlemanly.

“Yes… that would probably be a good idea. The room is spinning somewhat.”

They collected their things and headed out the door and walked arm in arm to back to Sanditon House as Esther was a little wobbly. When they arrived at the doors of her wing of the house, she turned to Babington. “I had a really great time this evening. Thanks for cheering me up.”

“Anytime.”

Esther started fumbling for her keys in her bag and dropped them on the floor. They both went to pick them up and their fingers brushed. They looked at each other as they straightened up.

“Well.. goodnight then.” Babington said coyly.

Esther looked at him, surprised by the effect his touch had on her. Then she moved towards him to close the gap between them and gave him a quick, chaste kiss on the lips. “Goodnight” She said. She opened the door and let herself into the house and smiled at him as she closed the door behind her.

Babington stood still for a moment, slightly shell-shocked as to what had just happened. Then shaking his head and chuckling, he made the way up the path to the gates with a spring in his step.


	33. Return to Willingden

Time seemed to go by at record pace for Charlotte. Her weekdays were spent negotiating contracts, her evenings seeing Alison at the rehab centre and her weekends wedding planning with Georgie. Very quickly February rolled in March and March into April until it was only a matter of days before the Sanditon House launch which had been set for the first of May.

The UK Heritage Projects Fund’s share purchase was completed within a week of Susan’s visit to Sanditon House and Charlotte had not had much involvement since then as the majority of the legal work was now complete. Esther had, of course, kept her up to date what was happening on the ground and it was clear that Susan’s influence had guaranteed that the launch event would be very well attended indeed. Tom had arranged for the whole project team to have dinner together at the hotel in the evening to celebrate or commiserate, whatever the outcome would be (although it was looking like the former and not the latter)! Therefore, any hope that Charlotte had of being able to avoid Sidney on the day was well and truly lost. She had not seen or heard from him at all since the accountant’s dinner, but that’s not to say she hadn’t thought of him or even entertained the idea of getting in touch with him. Being busy suited her nicely as then she had little time to dwell on things. But the ways things were left between them left her with an ache inside that never really went away.

Georgie’s wedding plans were coming along nicely. She had roped in Charlotte to accompany her shopping for all number of wedding things. Charlotte even went with her to Oxford one weekend to see the wedding venue and meet the photographer and florist when Otis was otherwise engaged. Charlotte was quite taken with the exquisite architecture of the colleges. They even had time to do an open top bus tour which was great fun. Of course it had also fallen on Charlotte to arrange the hen party. Whilst she wasn’t the only bridesmaid as Georgie had also asked two of her cousins as well, it seemed easier for Charlotte to just take the lead with the organising as this was one of her skill sets. Charlotte both enjoyed and loathed this task. It was fun planning all the antics and activities, but it turned out trying to organise 15 twenty-something girls was a major headache and she was fast becoming irritated with the whole thing. Trying to get all of them to confirm their attendance and pay her the money took a lot of effort, but thankfully she was now only waiting for one more RSVP. The sooner the hen party was over, the better in her opinion!

Alison had been making great progress over the last couple of months, to the extent that the centre considered she could continue her rehabilitation at home in Willingden as an outpatient. The plan was for her to return home on 29th April, only a couple of days before the Sanditon House launch. As such, Charlotte decided she would take those days off work to accompany Alison on the journey home and to help her settle back in. She would then travel to Sanditon by train on the Friday.

And this is now where Charlotte found herself – back in Willingden with her family. Whilst she had seen her parents and her siblings when they had visited Alison a few times at the rehab centre, it was the first time everyone was together since Christmas. As usual, as with any large family, it was a somewhat chaotic welcome, although they did try to make an effort to be a bit calmer for Alison’s sake. Whilst Alison’s time at the Streatham rehabilitation centre had been vital to her recovery, it was clear that Alison was pleased to be home – probably more due to the fact that she would be able to see more of her boyfriend Mark than anything! There was still some way to go, but things were looking really positive.

The Heywoods plus, on occasion Mark, spent the next couple of days doing some of the things Alison loved. Baking cookies, walking round the farm, going out for coffee and watching episodes of Friends. Grant’s wife Sarah brought Charlotte’s nieces to visit the second day and Grant joined them for dinner after work. It was lovely to be back with all the family, but at times, Charlotte did crave a bit of alone time, especially as she was having to share a room with Alison. There came an opportunity later that evening when her parents and Alison were settled down watching TV and her siblings were otherwise occupied.

Whenever Charlotte came home, she would help sort out her father’s paperwork – a task she actually really enjoyed doing. There was something incredibly satisfying about it! Whilst her Dad kept up with the payments and everything, he was terrible at filing. He would stack the invoices and bank statements in a pile and then Charlotte would sort and file them away in an orderly and systematic manner. And so after dinner, Charlotte made her way to her father’s study. She shut the door, poured herself a glass of wine and started picking up the papers. As she worked her way down through the pile, she came across a letter from her Dad’s private medical insurers which read:

_10 January 2020_

_Dear Mr Heywood_

_We regret to inform you that unfortunately we are unable to accept your claim under your policy number 938HB30X in respect of the treatment for your daughter, Alison Heywood. Whilst your policy does cover your children, it is only up until the age of 18 or until they have left full-time education. The course that Alison is taking with the open university is not considered “full-time education” (please refer to clause 19B of our terms and conditions), and therefore we are sorry that your claim cannot be progressed any further._

_If you are unhappy with our decision, you do have the right to appeal to the financial ombudsman, the details of which are overleaf._

_Please accept our sympathies at this time and our best wishes for Alison’s full recovery._

_Yours sincerely_

_Jill Bennett_

_Claims Assessor_

Charlotte read the letter over and over to make sure she hadn’t misread its contents. What was going on? Her parents had told her the insurance had come through. Perhaps they had appealed? She rummaged through the papers to see if she could find another letter. Sure enough she found a couple of letters of correspondence with the ombudsman, one acknowledging receipt of the appeal and another a couple of weeks later acknowledging its withdrawal… Charlotte was getting anxious. Why had they withdrawn the appeal? And if the insurance wouldn’t cover it – how had they found the money to pay the fees? Charlotte decided to look at the bank statements to see if these were any clearer, but there was no evidence of any payments being made to the rehab centre. Unable to sit and stew on it any longer, she decided to confront her parents. She opened the door of the study and strode purposefully into the living room.

“Mum? Dad?” They looked up at her from the sofa and saw her holding the papers. “Care to explain what this is all about?” She said accusingly, handing over the letters.

Her father glanced apprehensively at her mother. “Er…” Was all he could managed in response.

“You told me the insurance came through!”

“Yes, well.” Her Dad stuttered.

“What’s going on? How were you paying for Alison’s place with no insurance? I can’t see any payments being made on the bank statements...” She was looking at her parents suspiciously, but they seemed to be at a loss for words.

“Lottie!” Alison said suddenly. She’d been flicking through the photos on Charlotte’s phone of her in various bridesmaids dresses and had landed on the photo of Sidney and the Parker children. “Lottie – I’ve remembered where I’ve seen Sidney before!” She declared, delighted that the memory had returned.

Charlotte closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was the first time she had heard someone mention his name for weeks and when Alison had said it, it felt like she’d received a dagger to the heart. “Alison, lovely, this really is not the time. I’m trying to talk to Mum and Dad.” Charlotte tried to say as gently as possible.

“No – it’s important.” Alison replied. Charlotte looked at her sister and sighed. She knew she needed to be patient with her, but it was hard.

“OK. Where have you seen Sid… Sidney before?” God, saying his name was torturous! She walked over to Alison and crouched down beside her which gave her parents the chance to collect their thoughts.

“At the rehab centre.” Now Charlotte knew Alison must be confused. There is no way Sidney would have been at the rehab centre but she couldn’t say this as she didn’t want to upset her.

“Oh right.”

“Yes, he was handing in some paperwork at reception.” Charlotte smiled at her softly. It broke her heart that she was so convinced this was the case, when it clearly was just a figment of her imagination, an effect of her injury. “You don’t believe me do you?” Alison said indignantly.

“I’m sorry Ali. I just don’t understand why Sidney would be at the rehab clinic. He had no reason to be there.”

“But he was… he was there! Mum was with him.” Alison was starting to get worked up and looked towards Jane. Charlotte slowly turned her head towards her Mum with a desperate look.

“Charlotte…” Her Mum said quietly. “Alison’s right. Sidney was at the rehab centre with me.”

Charlotte looked at her Mum incredulously. Was she just playing along to appease Alison and to stop her getting distressed? This could hardly be helpful. But then the look her Mum gave her made her believe that she was telling the truth.

“Mum?” She asked.

Her Mum looked to her Dad. “I think we need to tell her.” Her Dad nodded.

Charlotte got up and moved towards them. “Tell me what?” She said, her eyes darting between her parents, her heart starting to thump loudly in her chest.

“You may want to sit down…” Her Mum suggested.

“No – tell me! What… what’s going on here?” She was angry, but also afraid. Her parents had obviously kept something from her about Sidney.

Her Dad cut in. “The insurance never came through for Alison’s place at the rehab centre… We found another way to pay for it.”

“How? How did you pay for it?” Charlotte asked, her hands shaking. She thought she knew the answer to her question, but she needed to hear them say it.

“Sidney paid for it.”

The shock of this revelation made Charlotte turn as white a sheet and she had to grab on to the sofa for support as her legs threatened to buckle underneath her. “He… he paid for it all?”

“Yes.” Her mother admitted.

“But that… that must be tens of thousands of pounds!” Her father nodded reluctantly in acknowledgment. “Why? Why would he do that?” Her voice was strained and tears started to fill her eyes.

“He…” Her father started, but her mother interrupted him. “I think that’s something you’ll have to ask him.” Jane replied, giving her husband a stern look.

“Why would you keep this from me?” Charlotte said, tears now running down her face.

“Because we thought it was in your best interests.” Her Mum replied.

“It was in my best interests to lie to me?” She felt a keen sense of betrayal, not only from her parents but Sidney as well.

“Yes… Yes it was at the time.” Her Dad interjected. “You know you wouldn’t have let Sidney pay for it if you knew. I mean… God, I nearly didn’t let him.”

“How do you know what I would have done? You decided not to involve me!” She said, trying not to raise her voice at them in anger as she knew it would upset Alison, but at same time thinking how dare they presume to know her mind!

“Sweetheart, you were so overwhelmed with what was happening with Alison. Do you think you would have been able to think rationally about Sidney’s offer at the time? Didn’t you call things off with him because you couldn’t cope with everything that was going on?” Her Mum said softly.

“He told you about that?” Charlotte couldn’t believe it! “And what else did he tell you? What else did you discuss behind my back?”

“It wasn’t like that!”

“No – what was it like then? How long were you going to keep this a secret from me? Did you really think I wouldn’t find out?”

Jane looked at her apologetically. “Charlotte. We’re sorry we did not consult with you and we’re sorry we lied, but we honestly thought it was for the best.”

Charlotte paused and looked at them both. Her Mum’s eyes were also shining with tears. She knew they were sincere, that they had their reasons and even the best intentions, but the problem was that the lie had made her make certain assumptions… assumptions that had ruined things with Sidney and caused them both so much pain. “I know that’s what you thought… but… but… Oh God, this is such a mess!” She said, more tears spilling from her eyes. A wave of adrenalin spread through her body and it went into fight or flight mode. She was finding it difficult to breathe. She needed to escape from this room now.

“Sweetheart…” Her mum said pleadingly.

“No Mum! I… I need some fresh air.” She said as she ran out the house. Her Dad made to follow her, but her Mum held him back. “No Frank. Leave her be.”

The sun was beginning to set along the hills as Charlotte sprinted down the track which led away from the farm as fast as she could until she reached the barn where she stopped to catch her breath. She leant her back against the wall and wept. She sunk down and clutched her heart as if it was physically in pain. It wasn’t the lie or betrayal that hurt the most. It was what she had done to Sidney and to herself because of it that was causing her such agony. Because how had she repaid him for such incredible generosity? She’d walked away from him, not once, but twice and she’d hurt them both in the process.

There were so many questions that remained unanswered. Why had he done this when things were over between them before they had even began? Sidney selling his car, letting his flat, his so-called “economising” was all that to pay for Alison’s treatment? Then why did he tell her he had gambled when he hadn’t? Why did he make her believe that he had done that? That part didn’t make sense at all.

How on earth was she going to face him tomorrow after all this? God he must despise her for what she’d done to him, for she’d judged him harshly and rashly! And what would she say to him? Charlotte had already been worried about seeing him after everything, but now… now that she knew what he had done, her anxiety had increased tenfold – her near panic attack just now had confirmed that. She would have to confront him, she knew that. She would not be able to rest until she knew everything because he had kept this a secret from her – just like her parents. He’d left her in the dark. Why was it so important that she didn’t know?


	34. Dreams

_She was walking along the cliff tops away from him, her hands in her pockets and her head down. “Charlotte!” He yelled, but she wouldn’t or couldn’t hear him. She was walking close to the edge of the cliff… too close and there was a sheer drop below. She wasn’t looking where she was going and any slight misstep would mean disaster. He had to get to her, to pull her back. He was running as fast as he could, but he wasn’t getting any closer to her. “Charlotte!” He yelled again. But still she walked on. The wind was picking up, he could see it blowing her hair. A strong gust could easily cause her to lose her balance. He was desperate to reach her. Why wasn’t he able to reach her? “Charlotte!” He shouted for the third time. She spun around to face him, and as predicted lost her balance in the process. In slow motion she started to fall backwards off the cliff. He reached for her in anguish, and she reached for him, but she was too far away. “Sidney!” She screamed, her face full of fear – her eyes wide… “Noooooooooo!”_

Sidney woke up with a start. His heart was beating fast and his body was drenched in sweat… It was all a dream. The same dream he’d been having on and off for the last few weeks. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply to try and calm himself down. He could still see Charlotte’s face; her beautiful big brown eyes filled with fear and he could still feel the strong sense of hopelessness at being unable to save her.

It was the middle of the night and Sidney took a while to remember that he was not in his own bed in his flat in Greenwich, but in the spare room at Trafalgar House as he’d travelled down to Sanditon last night. In only a matter of hours he would see Charlotte again. God he wanted to… no, he no needed to see her! The last couple of months had felt like a form of torture. Everywhere he went in London, he would instinctively look out for her. His eyes would roam the place searching for her, and whenever he thought he had seen her, his heart would race and his stomach flip. But then the disappointment would descend on him as he realised that the person he was looking at was not her.

There had been no form of communication between them at all. It’s not that Sidney didn’t want to contact her, but he just didn’t know what he would say - after all, the last thing Charlotte had said to him was to leave her alone. He desperately wanted to fix things between them, but there were several reasons why he hadn’t yet made the first move. To start with, he was still feeling hurt. He was hurt by way she had looked at him that night at the accountant’s dinner, the assumptions she had arrived at and the accusations she had made. And he was also afraid. He was afraid because in order to tell her the truth he would need to be vulnerable with her, and he found it difficult to be vulnerable with anyone after what Lizzie had done to him. In addition to all this, he’d taken onboard Susan’s advice to him when she came to visit Sanditon. She’d said Sidney needed to be patient, that Charlotte would come round in the end. God he hoped so! And so for these reasons he had done what Charlotte had asked him… to leave her alone.

And he had left her alone… until now as they were to be thrown together again at the opening of Sanditon House and he felt their fate would be sealed today one way or the other, particularly after he’d received a text from Jane last night. All it said was _Charlotte knows_ , but that was enough to fill him with intense trepidation. He was sat with Mary and Tom in the sitting room when he’d received the message and his reaction was observed by them both. He’d had to excuse himself and go for a walk. Mary had questioned him afterwards, but he was in no mood to divulge anything. He wondered how Charlotte was feeling. Was she grateful? Angry? Upset? The lack of contact from her made him think the latter. There was no doubt that she would have hated being kept in the dark about it, and for that part at least he needed to apologise. However, Sidney couldn’t regret the choice he had made to help the Heywoods. Charlotte’s well-being and happiness were more important to him than anything. Surely the gesture in itself was enough to convince her of his feelings for her? Could she not see that everything he had done was because he was in love with her? And could she forgive him for keeping it a secret from her?

*************

Esther woke up with a start. She’d been having one of her stress dreams again where she had been packing to go on holiday, but every time she thought she’d finished, she’d find more clothes to pack until she was fast running out of time to catch her flight and then… she awoke. Esther glanced at the clock. It was approaching six o’clock in the morning. In a little over four hours’ time they would be opening the gates to Sanditon House to welcome in its first visitors. She slumped back down into the pillows. The past couple of months had been pretty full on. There was so much to do to prepare for the opening, but with Susan’s help, they had achieved so much in so short a time frame.

All the rooms in the house were set up perfectly, guidebooks had been printed, curators had been trained to do guided tours, the café had been kitted out, the kitchen stocked – all with local produce, the menu agreed and staff inducted. Various activities had been arranged for children, most of which were Tom’s ideas and the gardens were looking magnificent – especially the peonies and roses. As this was the launch day and they were expecting a large crowd, they had hired additional caterers which would be set up in marquees on the grounds in front of the house to sell food and drink and provide outside seating.

A wide variety of people had been invited to attend the opening. Susan had sent out invitations to some of the most notable antiques experts, auctioneers and historians in the country. A number of Sidney’s work contacts had confirmed their attendance, as well as those connected with the Parker businesses. On top of all this, leaflets had been sent out to everyone living within a 5 mile radius offering them a discounted ticket price due to being local residents. Many had already pre-booked on-line and so the number of people expected had already reached over 500.

Even though everything had fallen into place, Esther was still feeling rather apprehensive about today and she was certain there was something she had forgotten. She’d spent 18 months working towards this and now the day had come she was anxious that it would all go to plan!

*************

Charlotte arrived into Sanditon at 9am – an hour before the gates to Sanditon House were to be opened. She took a taxi to the hotel, as she had booked a room for the night. She wandered up to the check-in desk and was greeted by a kind looking gentleman.

“Good morning.” He said cheerfully.

“Good morning. I have a room reserved for tonight, but I know that I’m too early to check in. I’m here for the Sanditon House opening, so was wondering if there was anywhere I could keep my bag until I’m allowed into my room later?” Charlotte asked politely.

“Of course madam, that won’t be a problem, but if you just give me your name I can check if your room’s available now?”

“Oh that would be great. It’s Charlotte Heywood.”

“Ah, so you’re Charlotte!” he said delightedly.

“Yes…” She responded hesitantly.

“Sorry, I should introduce myself. I’m Arthur. Tom and Sidney’s younger brother.”

“Oh yes, I remember Sidney telling me you were the hotel manager.”

“Indeed. Well it’s nice to finally put a name to a face.”

“Yes…” She answered giving him a nervous smile.

“So...” Arthur said looking at the computer. “We’ve upgraded your room and you’re now in one of our suites.”

“Oh, that’s really not necessary, I’m happy with a standard room.”

Arthur looked at her curiously “Well, unfortunately all our standard rooms are booked. Busy weekend as everyone is coming for the launch.”

“Right…” She didn’t know how upgrades were awarded, but she had her suspicions that Sidney had something to do with it and she wasn’t sure whether she was irritated by it or flattered. “A suite will be fine. Thank you.”

“Good, good. It’s available now if you want to check in?”

“Oh, yes please.”

“I just need you to fill out this paperwork.”

Once the paperwork was filled in, Charlotte was handed her key.

“Would you like me to show you to your room?” Arthur asked.

“No, that’s fine, thank you Arthur.”

“OK, well you’ll find it on the top floor and then take a left. If in doubt, following the arrows. Lifts are just down the corridor.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh… and have a nice stay!”

Charlotte made her way to the lifts. Once the doors closed behind her she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Her anxiety was rising again. Meeting Arthur was unexpected – although she should have expected it really given that he ran the hotel, but he was another connection to Sidney and everything about Sidney made her anxious right now. She had to face up to the fact though that she was in Sanditon and everything in Sanditon was associated to Sidney in some way - so there really was no way she could escape him here. “Courage Charlotte” she said to herself, knowing that she would see him in person in a matter of minutes.

The lift reached the top floor and she followed the arrows to her room. One could not help but admire the room on entry, for it was delightful. The door opened into a quaint seating area with big windows that looked out across the sea and on the coffee table was a vase of beautiful peonies. To the left was the bedroom which had a grand king sized poster bed and an en suite bathroom complete with jacuzzi bath and rain shower.

She dumped her overnight bag on the sofa and sunk down. Grateful that she had some time to collect her thoughts. As she did so, she noticed a card next to the flowers. Her heart started racing as she tentatively picked it up and turned it over. It read:

_I’m sorry. Please meet me in the den at 3pm and I’ll explain everything. S x_


	35. Open up the gates

Charlotte was fretting. The note from Sidney had thrown her somewhat. When she’d left for Sanditon this morning, she had been plotting in her mind how she might be able to get the opportunity to confront him, but as always, Sidney seemed to be one step ahead of her and for some reason it irritated her. She took out her annoyance on her hair, trying for the second time that morning to tame it, but her wild curls had a mind of their own today. She applied her makeup and put on some wedges that matched her navy wrap round dress. She was meant to be ‘working’ today after all (well, she was being paid to network), so she had to look the part. Now she was feeling a bit less dishevelled, her confidence was returning. However, she was keenly aware that such confidence could vanish in a flash whenever Sidney was nearby – for how often had she turned to a pile of mush in his presence?

Charlotte looked back at the flowers and re-read Sidney’s note. The initial irritation that he’d pipped her to the post in apologising started to subside as she took in the significance of the gesture. She traced his writing with her fingertips. There was something intimate about him giving her a handwritten note. He’d added a “x” at the end – and it was that and not the other contents of the note that had fazed her the most. Could it be possible, after everything that had happened between them, that he still cared for her? She shook her head slightly. There was no point in dwelling on it now, because by this afternoon, she hoped that everything would finally be out in the open between them. Charlotte sighed. It was now or never and she was as ready as she could be. She threw on her jacket and headed back to the lifts.

As she entered the hotel lobby she was met by Arthur.

“Is your room to your liking Charlotte?” He asked her.

“Yes. Very much so thank you… and… and the flowers are beautiful.” She added, hoping Arthur would understand her meaning as she was sure he was in on Sidney’s scheming.

“Ah, I’m glad you like them.” replied Arthur with a knowing smile. “They were brought from Sanditon House. I understand the peonies are glorious this spring.”

“Will you be joining us at the house later?” Charlotte inquired.

“Yes I hope so.”

“Well perhaps I may see you there then… or if not, tonight, at the dinner.”

“Yes, indeed. I… I hope all goes well today.” Arthur said, but both of them knew he wasn’t referring to opening day.

“Thank you Arthur. See you later.”

Charlotte left the hotel and caught another taxi to Sanditon House. There was a queue at the gates when she arrived so she made her way to join the back.

“Charlotte!” She spun round to greet a voice calling behind her and saw Babington bounding over to her, closely following by Crowe.

“George! Harry! Nice to see you both.” She said as she looked around nervously to see if Sidney was with them, but it did not seem like he was.

“So today is the day!” Babington said enthusiastically.

“I am breathless with anticipation.” Crowe said rather drolly.

“Come now Crowe, it’s not all that bad. Isn’t Clara coming?”

“Yes.” Said Crowe sheepishly. “Although I thought she’d arrive with you, Charlotte?

“Oh no, I’ve not come from London. I’ve been with my family in Willingden for a couple days. Clara travelled down last night and stayed with Esther.” Charlotte explained.

“Ah, so she got a sneaky preview.”

“Yes. But I seem to recall you’ve already been round Sanditon House too George?” Charlotte replied.

“Well… yes, but that was some months ago now. I’ve not seen the final product.”

In fact Babington had not returned to Sanditon since his karaoke session with Esther. Unfortunately his father had taken ill over the last two months and that meant Babington had been occupied with a great number of additional matters pertaining to the Estate. And as Esther was so busy with everything concerning opening day, there had been no time for them to see each other until today.

“How is your sister’s recovery going?” Babington asked.

“Oh really well. That’s why I was in Willingden, to bring her home.”

“That’s great news.”

“Yes. Yes, we have a lot to be thankful for.”

“Oh good, they’re opening the gates!” Babington said with glee for he was both nervous and excited about seeing Esther again. They followed the crowd through the gates where they met Clara and then headed down the path towards the house. Charlotte could see Esther, Tom and Susan mingling with some of Susan’s guests and was wondering whether she should meander over when she saw him. She froze in her tracks suddenly and all thoughts she had had up until that point vanished from her head. He was stood conversing with a couple of other gentleman. Sideny looked over to her, as if he knew she was watching him and she couldn’t break his gaze. He was just as, or if not more, handsome than she remembered. He was dressed in beige chinos and a navy sweater, but despite his semi-causal look, he could still easily be mistaken for a model.

“Charlotte? Are you alright?” Babington asked.

“Yes?” She replied, tearing her eyes away from Sidney’s. Babington was looking at her curiously, his eyes flitting between her and Sidney. “Sorry, I was miles away.” She said blushing.

“I can see that.” Babington responded with a smirk. Harry and Clara had left them behind to go for a tour round the house.

“I should go and say hello to Tom and Esther.” Charlotte said, seeing her opportunity now that Tom and Esther were on their own.

“I’ll join you.” Babington said.

As they made their way over to Esther and Tom, Susan intercepted them.

“Charlotte!” She said delightedly, reaching out her hands.

“Susan!” Charlotte replied as they kissed each other’s cheeks.

“How lovely to see you, and you too George.” Babington nodded in acknowledgement.

“Would you excuse me, I’m just going to say hello to Esther.” Babington said. He was obviously a man on a mission.

“Well, at least someone doesn’t beat around the bush!” Susan said frankly. Charlotte knew what she was referring to, but decided against indulging her in that topic of conversation

“What a great turnout already and the gates have only just opened. You must all be thrilled!” Charlotte commented.

“Yes, some more than others.” Susan said looking over to Tom who had a big grin on his face. “Now come, there are some people I want to introduce you to.”

And so Charlotte spent the next hour or so meeting a variety of Susan’s connections. She met so many people that she was fast running out of business cards. Whilst she was grateful that Susan was giving her the opportunity to network, she hadn’t yet had the chance to explore the house or formal gardens. She was desperate for a coffee and her feet were beginning to ache and she regretted not having packed a spare pair of pumps today. At the first opportunity, she excused herself and headed for one of the catering tents.

Sidney saw Charlotte head off on her own to the join the coffee queue. He’d been closely watching her being introduced to all of Susan’s associates for the last hour. He knew he should try and be patient and wait until their rendezvous this afternoon, but seeing her in the flesh again had stirred something inside him. He longed to be close to her and he just couldn’t help but wander over to her.

“So is eleven thirty your appointed time for a coffee break, or are your running behind schedule?” He said in his deep voice from behind her.

Charlotte shivered slightly at the sound of his voice. She turned round slowly and looked up to him, her eyes big and bright.

“Behind schedule. I’ve been busy meeting the world and his wife.” She managed to respond feeling flattered by the fact he had remembered that she had fixed times for her tea and coffee breaks.

“I noticed.” He said with a soft smile on his face.

“Parker!” A voice interrupted them.

“Ah Tilney. You remember Charlotte Heywood?”

“Yes of course, how could I forget the outspoken lawyer at the accountant’s dinner!” He replied with a twinkle in his eye. Charlotte blushed. “Oh please don’t be embarrassed Charlotte, it was meant as a compliment! Meeting you was the highlight of the evening. God, wasn’t that stand-up awful?”

“To be honest I don’t remember much of it. In hindsight, the sambuca was probably a bad choice.” Charlotte replied, although this was not really the full truth of it.

“You didn’t miss much. There’s another dinner coming up next month if you fancy it?” Tilney teased.

“I think maybe I should steer clear of such events for the time being. I don’t think you accountants are ready for my frank opinions.”

Tilney chuckled. “Yes, I think you’re probably right! Are you going Parker?”

“Not that I’m aware of, but my diary seems to get filled without my knowledge these days, so who knows!”

“Oh the burdens of being rich and powerful!” Tilney said mockingly.

“Sidney?” A female voice called out. Was there anyone here that Sidney didn’t know? There were a few hushed murmurs as a beautiful blonde woman walked up to them. Charlotte noticed Sidney tense up next to her.

“Lizzie.” He replied curtly. Charlotte suddenly comprehended who this person was, and she instinctively placed her hand on Sidney’s arm in solidarity and as if to reassure or protect him somehow. After a few seconds she suddenly remembered herself and withdrew it again, because he wasn’t hers to protect. However, the gesture did not go unnoticed by Lizzie.

“Care to introduce me to your… friends?” She said, looking Charlotte up and down.

“Certainly. This is Charlotte Heywood. She’s a solicitor at Thornton and Hale. Charlotte’s been doing all the legal work for Sanditon House. And this is John Tilney, accountant at Hootons. Charlotte, John, this is Lizzie Barnes.” Sidney answered. The feel of Charlotte’s hand on his arm, even though only brief had made his heart swell and he felt he was invincible in that moment.

Silence followed, no-one quite knowing what to say, until Charlotte broke the tension. “What brings you to Sanditon Miss Barnes?” She asked.

Lizzie smiled at her, but the smile did not reach her eyes. “Lizzie is fine. Let’s just say I have a strong affiliation with the place.” Her eyes shifted to Sidney and it made Charlotte’s stomach churn.

"A strong affiliation? Really? But I thought you'd been in Hollywood these past five years?" Charlotte commented. The sides of Sidney's mouth twitched.

Lizzie faltered slightly. "Yes, I have, but I have fond memories of my time here from before I moved to the States."

“You’ve visited Sanditon before?” Tilney asked.

“Oh yes, many times.” She replied.

“And what prompted this unexpected visit?" Charlotte asked

"Your little project of course!”

“Oh – and what was it about our ‘little project’ that sparked such an interest?” Charlotte asked, slightly over emphasising her words.

Lizzie narrowed her eyes at her. “I… I was intrigued to see inside the house, having wandered by it many times in the past.”

“Right. And have you been able to have a tour yet?” Sidney asked bluntly.

“No I’ve not had that pleasure yet as I’ve only just arrived.”

“Well, it really is something. I’m sure you will enjoy it.” Tilney said, his eyes flicking between them all and wondering what was going on.

“I have no doubt I will.”

Another awkward pause followed. “I expect you’ll find Sanditon is much changed since you were last here Lizzie.” Charlotte stated, her words containing a hidden meaning which perhaps Lizzie wouldn’t grasp, but Sidney did.

“Yes. For a man cannot step into the same river twice." Sidney said.

Charlotte looked up at him as they shared a look acknowledging what each of them were trying to say. "For he is not the same man, and it is not the same river." Charlotte added. Lizzie and Tilney were looking at them curiously. “It's Heraclitus." Sidney smiled softly at her. Of course she’d know that!

“Heraclitus?” Lizzie said.

Charlotte turned back to Lizzie. “He was a Greek philosopher. It means that everything is constantly changing. People and places may look the same as they did last time you saw them, but like the water in the river which is always moving, and therefore never the same, people and places also change… it’s just sometimes those changes are not visible, particularly when it comes to people.” Charlotte explained. Sidney’s heart began to thump loudly in his chest. God he loved this woman!

Lizzie’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head as the meaning of Sidney and Charlotte’s words dawned on her.

They had now reached the front of the coffee queue.

“What are you having?” Sidney asked Charlotte gently.

“Flat white please.”

“Were you wanting a coffee Lizzie?” Sidney said offhandedly; the difference in the tone of his voice in addressing her as opposed to Charlotte quite obvious.

“Oh, no thank you. I don’t touch caffeine.”

“Right.” God, he remembered Lizzie’s weird diet fads and how she insisted that he also followed them. It used to drive him mad. He ordered and paid for the coffees.

“Will you be staying in Sanditon long?” Charlotte asked Lizzie as they waited for the barista to get the coffees.

“I’m not sure.”

“Well unfortunately I overheard from the manager that Northanger Hotel is fully booked due to the opening.” Charlotte advised.

“That is unfortunate.” Sidney replied, rather enjoying himself now.

“But perhaps there is a hotel outside of town with vacancies?” Charlotte said looking at Sidney.

“I think there are only chain hotels within a short distance of here. I’m afraid they won’t be what you’re usually accustomed to Lizzie.” Sidney said.

Lizzie was not quite sure how to respond. All she could manage was “Oh I see.”

The barista handed over their coffees and Tilney bid them farewell.

“I hope you enjoy your visit Lizzie – especially the tour of the house. We are grateful that you have found the time to come and see our ‘little project’, but I’m afraid Sidney and I must go and check in with the team now.” Charlotte explained.

“Yes, of course. Perhaps we could catch up later Sidney?” Charlotte looked over to Sidney suddenly unsure as to how he would respond.

“I don’t think so. Goodbye Lizzie.” He replied and they walked off.


	36. Empty threats

**Chapter 36 - Empty Threats**

“Are you OK?” Charlotte asked Sidney as they walked away from the marquee and towards the house.

“Never better.” He replied, grinning and Charlotte couldn’t help but smile too. No more was needed to be said on the matter between them.

“Thank you for the flowers.” Charlotte said shyly. Sidney stopped suddenly and she followed suit, turning round to face him. He gave her a piercing look which gave her butterflies and took a step closer to her so that the distance between them was reduced to only about a foot. The sudden nearness of him caused Charlotte to take in a sharp intake of breath.

“Does that mean you’ll meet me later?” He asked hesitantly.

Charlotte nodded. “Yes.” She replied breathlessly, unable to break his gaze. Sidney sighed in relief and if possible, his look intensified even more. His fingers twitched, longing to take her hand in his and lead her away right now, but it was not the right time.

“Esther!” An angry shout carried across the lawned area in front of the house, breaking the moment between them. Everyone looked around to see where it had come from.

“Esther!” The voice shouted again. Charlotte could see Esther at the entrance to the house. She had gone pale and her eyes were wide and full of dread. Charlotte looked across the lawn and saw someone walking hastily towards her. It was Edward and from his swagger and body language, all was not well.

Sidney and Charlotte exchanged a worried glance and hurried to the entrance. Out of the corner of her eye, Charlotte saw Babington also quickly making his way over, but Edward got there first. The crowd of people on the lawn and in the marquees were staring and whispering at the commotion.

“Esther! I need to talk to you.” Edward he said frantically, grabbing Esther’s arm and giving her a menacing look.

“Edward, let go, you’re hurting me!” Esther replied through gritted teeth on the verge of tears.

Babington got within a few metres of them and stopped. “Edward, let her go now!” He said firmly.

Sidney and Charlotte were now closer to the scene. “Do you think we should call the police?” Charlotte whispered to Sidney.

“Not yet. But be ready to if we can’t lead him away.” Sidney whispered back.

“Edward, think about what you’re doing! There are hundreds of people here – all who will bear witness to whatever it is you intend to do. Why don’t you let Esther go and we can go and have a talk somewhere private?” Babington pleaded.

“Oh f*** off!” Edward replied. “I’m not going anywhere. I used to live here. By all rights it should be mine.”

“But it is not yours and that is your own doing!” Esther retorted in a hushed voice. “Edward, please. For f***’s sake it is opening day. Why are you trying to ruin this for me?”

“Come on Edward.” Babington said. “Don’t you think you’ve put Esther through enough?”

“Oh yes, poor Esther!” Edward spat.

“What is it that you want?” Esther asked, wincing slightly from his tight grip on her arm.

“I want what is rightfully mine!”

“And what is that exactly?” Babington asked.

“My fair share in this house!”

“Your fair share? Do you think this is the way you’re going to get it? By threatening Esther in front of all these people?” Babington asked “Edward, this is a futile exercise. See some sense. Let go of Esther and come away with me.”

“Edward, for once in your life, please make the right choice!” Esther implored. “Let me go, and go with George.”

They could see Edward processing everything in his head. After what seem like forever, he let go of Esther and started walking over to Babington. Sidney joined them as they both held him by the arms and escorted him off the property.

Charlotte ran over to Esther and put her arms around her shoulders. Her chest was heaving and her breathing shallow from the shock of the incident. “Come on Esther, let’s go and have a sit down in your place.”

Clara joined them. Once inside, Charlotte put the kettle on.

“Oh God, this is a disaster!” Esther cried her head in her hands.

“No it’s not. No-one could hear what was going on from where I was. It just looked like an argument.” Clara said

“I was ready to call the police. What the f*** was Edward thinking?” Charlotte said protectively.

“That’s the problem, he wasn’t. He was probably off his face.” Esther said.

“Shit!” Clara said.

“Thank God for George though. I can’t believe he managed to talk him round. Edward actually looked deranged.” Charlotte said. “Did he hurt you?”

“A bit.” Esther rolled her sleeve up. It looked like Edward’s tight grip would leave a bruise.

“Oh my God Esther! We should call the police.” Charlotte said.

“No! I don’t want the police coming here.” Esther replied resolutely. “He…he wasn’t in his right mind.”

“How long are you going to keep on defending him?” Clara asked.

“I’m not. I threw him out didn’t I? But he’s my brother.”

“He’s your step brother and he’s a monster.”

“Only when he’s using.”

“You’re doing it again. You’re making excuses for him.”

“I know I am... But he was the only good thing about my childhood. I have to hope that he can get better.” Esther replied tears starting to fall down her cheeks.

“We know.” Charlotte said coming to Esther and giving her a hug. “Look it’s nearly lunchtime. Why don’t I pop out and bring us back some sandwiches?”

“OK.”

Clara was right. The crowd hadn’t seemed to notice much about the incident. No-one paid Charlotte much attention as she went to get some sandwiches. As she was making her way back to Esther and Clara, she was accosted by a unwelcome guest.

“Charlotte.”

Charlotte sighed at the irritation. “Lizzie. I’m sorry, but now isn’t a good time.” She said, trying to escape.

“I witnessed the incident right now. Quite the drama. I wonder what the press would make of it?” Charlotte stopped in her tracks and whizzed round to face her.

“What is your problem?” Charlotte asked her, outraged.

Eliza looked at her ominously “You are.”

“Me?” Charlotte replied dubiously.

“Yes. It’s quite obvious how pathetically besotted you are with Sidney. You need to leave him alone!”

“Excuse me?” Charlotte couldn’t believe what was happening.

“You heard me!”

“Are you threatening me?”

“Call it what you like. But I have many contacts who would be very interested to know what happened here. I’m sure there would be some way we could even make it front page news.”

Charlotte’s eyes widened. Everything suddenly made sense. “It was you…”

“What do you mean?” Lizzie replied, a ugly scowl on her face.

“You were the source the papers referred to at the Valentine’s Gala. The one who witnessed you and Sidney getting “cosy!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She said standoffishly.

“Yes you do! And you call me pathetic? So what, you think by making up stories for the press and warning me away that Sidney’s going to come back to you – is that it?”

Lizzie looked at her incensed. “We were engaged.”

“Five years ago, and you broke his heart. Is this why you are here today? To try to win him back?”

“I don’t have to explain myself to you!”

“No you’re right. You don’t. But how dare you threaten me! You don’t even know me. And you certainly don’t know Sidney if you think by going to the press and threatening his friends you will get your way.”

“So you are only friends then?”

“That is none of your business.”

Lizzie took a deep breath. “Leave him alone Charlotte.”

“You are a simpleton indeed if you think you will get your way by threatening me. You may have your connections, your celebrity status, but you forget that I am a lawyer and have the means to stop you in an instant if you pursue your slanderous threats.” Charlotte said indignantly. “Do your worst Lizzie.” And off she strode away from her.

**********

Sidney and Babington had managed to escort Edward off the grounds of Sanditon House. He seemed much calmer away from the crowds and was feeling remorseful, the effects of whatever substance he had taken easing. They sat with him for a while as he sobered up and got him to talk to them about his issues. Sidney knew of a few different avenues to pursue in terms of help with his drink and drugs issues and Babington said he would call on him tomorrow. They found out he was staying in a hostel a couple of miles away, so they sorted out a taxi and put him in it then made their way back. It was approaching 1.30pm by the time they got back. Babington headed straight for Esther’s place to go and see her.

Esther was just about to head out the door with Charlotte and Clara when Babington arrived.

“George. How’s Edward?” Charlotte asked.

“He’s gone back to the hostel. Seems to have sobered up a bit.” He replied addressing Esther, but she was avoiding eye contact.

Sensing Babington wanted a moment alone with Esther, Charlotte said. “Clara has promised to show me round the house as I’ve not seen it yet. Esther – we’ll catch up with you later.”.

Esther looked up to Babington then and gave him a shy smile. Charlotte and Clara walked off as Babington stood by the door and Esther in the door frame. “Can I come in for a moment?” He asked. Esther nodded and led the way inside.

Once in the living room, Babington took Esther’s hands. “Are you OK?” he asked urgently, the fear he’d been feeling for her during Edward’s outburst evident in his eyes.

“I’m fine.” Esther said taking a deep breath.

“No you’re not.” He said. Why was he looking at her like that? It was so intense. She had to look away as the tears burned in her eyes. “Esther. Look at me.” He said gently. Slowly she raised her eyes to his as the tears started falling. Babington raised his hand to wipe the tears from her face. She closed her eyes at his touch and let out a sob that nearly broke his heart. He brought his lips to her forehead to kiss her softly.

“Thank you.” She whispered.

Babington drew back to look at her. “Esther, you must know I’d do anything for you.”

“No. I’m not worth it!”

“Don’t! Don’t try and persuade me otherwise, it won’t work. Can’t you see that I’m in love with you?” Had he really said that? She looked at him in complete disbelief, completely speechless. “I know that you have your reservations about me. But do you think… do you think you could give me, give us, a chance?”

She paused and the silence was like torture to Babington. Finally she said. “Very well.”

“That’s… that’s a yes?” He asked in surprise.

“Stop talking.” She took his face in her hands and kissed him.

*************

With half an hour to go before his rendezvous with Charlotte, Sidney said his goodbyes and headed out of the gates of Sanditon House

“Sidney, wait!”

He closed his eyes in irritation and turned to face her. “What is it Lizzie?”

“Please, you have to hear me out!” She begged him.

He sighed. “Well then?”

“You must know the real reason why I’ve come here?” She said earnestly.

“You are mistaken. I have no idea why you are here.” And he couldn’t care less.

“To see you.”

God she was infuriating! “Lizzie, I made it abundantly clear when we last met that I have no wish to see you again.”

“How can you say that? We were engaged. We were in love.”

“Love? If you loved me, you wouldn’t have f***ed Frederick Campion.” He said spitefully.

“I was weak. He was a Hollywood actor!”

“Oh for God’s sake Lizzie! You married the guy and you have a child together. Be honest with yourself. The only reason you’re even remotely interested in me again is because now I am somebody. Somebody who can launch you back into favour with London society.”

“No… it’s because I love you.”

“Well I don’t love you.” He said with a firm resolve. She flinched at his words.

“It’s that lawyer isn’t it? She’s got her claws into you.”

“Don’t you dare bring Charlotte into this!” His temper was rising.

“Oh, so I’ve hit a nerve! You love her don’t you?”

“That is none of your business.”

“Interesting. That’s exactly what she said.”

The realisation that she had spoken to Charlotte angered him even more. “I swear to God Lizzie…”

“What?”

Sidney took a deep breath and clenched his jaw. “Let me make myself clear. Whatever you think you’re doing here, it’s not going to work. You cannot manipulate your way back into my life like you did before. Your threats are meaningless. You have no power, no control over me anymore. We’re done. It’s over. Now you should leave.”

His words had the intended effect. She looked shocked and outdone. There was a queue of taxis waiting on the road to take guests home. Sidney walked over to the driver of the taxi at the front who wound down the window.

“Hi there. This lady needs a taxi back to London. Would you be willing to go if I pay double the fare?” He asked.

“Certainly sir.”

Sidney opened the door and looked over at Lizzie, who was still looking rather shell-shocked after his outburst.

“Lizzie?” He said to her, which broke her out of her state. He nodded at the taxi indicating she should get in.

Realising she was defeated, she walked over with her head down and got in. As Sidney was about to shut the door she said meekly. “I’m sorry.”

Sidney nodded briefly at her to acknowledge the apology and then shut the door. He watched the taxi drive until it was out of sight and then made his way towards the den.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rendezvous is coming next! I promise!


	37. The rendezvous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really felt the pressure writing this Chapter! It's gone through several versions. Hopefully the one I've settled on meets all your expectations...! Enjoy.

Sidney arrived at the den with time to spare. His heart was still thumping from the conversation he’d had with Lizzie. The fact she had confronted Charlotte riled him. What had she said? Anger scourged through his body at the thought she may have upset her. God he hoped Charlotte wouldn’t change her mind and still come! He started pacing the now slightly overgrown floor of the woodland glade. He’d rehearsed in his head what he was going to say to Charlotte, but their encounters with Lizzie today had thrown him. Was he never to be rid of her? He hoped that Lizzie had finally got the message. Did she honestly think he would ever go back to her after what she did to him? He cursed out loud. She was so infuriating! How could he have ever been in love with such a woman? Maybe he wasn’t. Not really. Because what he had felt for Lizzie was so very different to how he felt about Charlotte. His love for Charlotte was deeper and more tender. A love that kept on giving and not taking. A love that demanded nothing in return.

Sidney stopped pacing and sat down on a tree stump in an attempt to calm his racing heart. The last time he’d been here had been when Charlotte had first called things off between them. The torment and hopelessness he had felt then had since subsided. He understood her reasons for pushing him away, but it had been frustrating at the time, especially when his whole being was screaming to be close to her. The second time she’d walked away from him had been so much more painful, but he couldn’t hold her solely accountable. He’d kept the truth from her after all and he’d made no attempt to correct her false assumptions since that encounter. He hoped she would understand why.

Sidney looked at his watch. It had turned 3pm, but Charlotte still wasn’t here. His heart was racing again. What if she didn’t come? Then he remembered his conversation with Lizzie after she’d asked him if he loved Charlotte. She’d referred to Charlotte saying that whatever it was between them was none of her business – just like he had. Was it even remotely possible that she loved him, despite everything? He knew Charlotte well enough that she would happily divulge her frank opinions on the matter if he was nothing to her at all. He smiled at the irony that whatever Lizzie was trying to achieve had had quite the opposite effect on him, as Charlotte’s response gave him the first glimmer of hope that he’d had for some months that maybe, just maybe, there was a chance for them.

Charlotte was running late for her meeting with Sidney. It was 2.50pm and she’d only just managed to escape the clutches of her new acquaintances at Sanditon House. It was still a fair walk to the den and she was deeply regretting her choice of footwear as it was clearly not up for the task. She made her way as quickly as she could to the beach. As soon as she got there, she took off her wedges and tried to run, the sand and the tightness of the dress on her thighs impeding her somewhat. She hoped Sidney was still there. Charlotte stopped for a second to catch her breath and get out her phone to text him to tell him she was on her way, but it had run out of battery. “Shit!” She said out loud. She put it back in her bag, gathered herself and carried on running.

Eventually she made it to the cliff path and now she faced a difficult climb. Somehow she managed it, but by the time she got to the top of the path, she was looking decidedly tousled from the exertion of all the running and climbing. She took a minute to compose herself before entering the wooded glade. Her appearance was far from ideal, but she couldn’t delay any longer. She attempted to smooth her hair and catch her breath before she entered.

Sidney was sat on a tree stump and looked up at her as she entered the den. She’d clearly rushed to get here as her cheeks were flushed, but she was still the most beautiful person he’d ever seen. He gave her a shy smile which she returned.

“I… I couldn’t get away. Sorry to keep you waiting.” Charlotte said, still trying to catch her breath and clasping her hands together to try and stop them from shaking from the nerves.

“For a moment there at thought you weren’t coming.” He said getting up and making his way closer to her.

“Sorry – I had to run here, but I wore the wrong pair of shoes.” She said looking down to her feet and Sidney’s gaze followed.

“No spare pair today then?” He said, amused.

“No.”

There was an awkward pause, the significance of being alone with each other not being lost on them.

“I thought maybe Lizzie might have put you off meeting me?” Sidney said.

“She tried to… she…” Charlotte paused, unsure whether she should tell him the extent of their conversation. But she didn’t want there to be any more secrets between them. “…she threatened to go to the press about Esther and Edward if I didn’t leave you alone.”

“She did what?” Sidney responded, outraged.

“And I found out she was source for the Valentine’s Gala press article – the one that said they’d seen you two getting “cosy”.” She added.

“Oh for f***’s sake!” Sidney said, throwing his hands in the air and turning away from Charlotte due to his annoyance.

“She wants you back.” Charlotte said, looking at him, concerned about upsetting him and suddenly feeling insecure.

Sidney took a deep breath to calm himself. “I know, but I didn’t think she’d stoop so low.”

“She spoke to you too?” This made Charlotte nervous.

“Yes. But now she’s in a taxi back to London.”

“You… you sent her away?” Charlotte asked startled.

Sidney turned back to Charlotte, the anger in his eyes subsiding. “Of course. I told you, I don’t want anything to do with her.” He started walking closer to Charlotte with a serious look.

“Sidney… I…”

“Yes?”

He was still walking closer to her and she was finding it difficult to breathe. “Please stop.” Sidney halted in his tracks and he felt his heart sink. “I need… I need to say something.” She stuttered. Sidney looked at her expectantly. She took a deep breath. “What you did for Alison, for my family… It… it was an incredible gift and all I did was… was push you away.” She was still finding it difficult to breathe. She paused to take some deep breaths to try and calm herself. “I owe you a huge apology, in fact more than one. I made some rash decisions about us, came to assumptions without letting you explain, accused you of things you hadn’t done and… I’m really, really sorry.” She couldn’t look him in the eye because she was so ashamed of how she had treated him. “The truth is that I was afraid.”

“What were you afraid of?” Sidney’s voice was so gentle and tender that she was sure her legs were going to give way.

She looked up to him and whispered “You.”

“Me?” This wasn’t what Sidney was expecting.

“Yes. You… confound me.” There was much more to it, but she wasn’t sure how to explain it.

“How?”

“Well for a start – the flowers.”

“The flowers?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes – you shouldn’t have sent them.”

“Why not?”

“Because it was kind and you shouldn’t be kind to me.”

“I’m not allowed to be kind to you?” He asked incredulously.

“No, you’re not.”

“And what should I be then?”

“You should be angry, upset... You should despise me for what I did to you.” Tears started to prickle in the corners of her eyes.

“And what good would that do?”

“It would… it would just make sense...” She replied as she tried to collect herself.

“I thought we established early on that none of this makes much sense.” He smiled at her softly, but she could not return it.

“But I need to try and make sense of it. I need some answers, Sidney.” She said determinedly. “Why? Why didn’t you tell me you’d paid for Alison’s treatment?”

“I gave my word to your parents that I wouldn’t tell you.” He stated.

“No, that’s not the real reason and you know it! All three of you colluded to keep this from me. Why was it so important that I didn’t know?” Her voice was strained with emotion. The hurt from the betrayal still raw.

Sidney could see the hurt in her eyes. He needed to explain this right. She needed to understand his intentions. “Because.. because things were so up in the air between us. I didn’t want you to feel… obligated to me in any way. It wouldn’t have been fair.” He maintained.

“Don’t you think I should have been the judge of what was fair or not fair?”

“Perhaps. But we thought we were making the right decision at the time.”

“That’s what my parent’s said. Was I really that weak, that fragile that I needed to be kept in the dark?”

“No of course not! I’m… I’m sorry.”

“And what about the other chances you had to tell me the truth?”

“I did try to tell you!” He replied and the memory of their last encounter flashed in his mind. “The night of the accountant’s dinner, I tried to tell you, but you made it abundantly clear that you didn’t want to see me again.”

“Only because you told me that you had gambled the money away! Why did you tell me you'd gambled it away when it wasn’t true? You knew my history. You knew my feelings towards gambling. Why say something like that when you knew it would push me away?”

"I chose my words badly. It wasn’t my intention to push you away. But what I said was true - I did take a gamble. But you made your own assumptions and you wouldn’t let me explain myself."

"I don't... I don't understand." Charlotte was confused.

“Paying for Alison’s treatment was a gamble – a gamble I took on you! On us… because you walked away and I… I couldn’t." Sidney ran his hands through his hair. He was feeling uncomfortable because now he needed to be vulnerable with her. He took a breath and clenched his jaw, struggling to control his emotions.

“Why couldn’t you walk away?" She asked quietly.

He looked at her, his eyes full of emotion. “You know why.”

"No tell me.” She said persistently. Sidney shook his head and looked away from her.

She walked up to him and took his hand. He closed his eyes at her touch, the first skin to skin contact he’d had with her for months and it felt… wonderful. Slowly she interlaced her fingers with his and his whole body felt like it was on fire. He turned to look at her. Charlotte’s eyes were shining with tears, pleading with him to say it. "Please... Tell me." she implored him, her voice barely a whisper.

The softness of her voice, the touch of her hand, the emotion in her eyes nearly broke him. He took a deep breath and summoned all his courage: "Because… I… I am in love with you." Sidney said his gaze fixed on hers, his voice cracking from all the emotion.

They both stood still for a moment, breathing heavily from all the passion bubbling up inside of them, their hands tingling from where they were touching. A single tear fell down Charlotte’s cheek. She stepped even closer towards him and reached her free hand to his cheek, drawing him to her, their foreheads touching. "... And I am in love with you..." She said earnestly. Sidney let out a long breath, one that he felt he had been holding in for months, the full exertion of confessing his feelings suddenly taking its toll on him. He brought his other hand to her waist and pressed her to him as he lightly stroked her other hand in his.

"You don’t know how long I’ve been wanting to hear you to say that!" He said breathlessly.

Charlotte drew her head back from his to look at him and moved her hand down onto his chest over his heart. "Please say you forgive me.” Charlotte whimpered, a few more tears falling down her cheeks.

His gaze was all-pervading as he replied. “Charlotte, of course I forgive you. Can you forgive me for keeping secrets from you?” Charlotte nodded and managed a shy smile which Sidney returned as they continued to regard each other, drinking each other in. Sidney’s look turned serious again. “Does… does this mean that… that we can be together?” He was suddenly unsure. Even though she loved him did she still want to be with him after all that had happened?

“Yes! Yes we can be together… properly.” She said emphatically.

Sidney’s heart felt like it was beating outside his chest. A light breeze was blowing. He reached to gently brush a few strands of hair out of Charlotte’s face. He left his hand there to lightly caress her cheek with his thumb, wiping away a few of the tears. His fingers lightly brushed the back of her neck and she shivered in response. Sidney drew his face slowly, slightly hesitantly towards hers, afraid that she was about to disappear again. Charlotte closed her eyes in anticipation as Sidney’s lips met hers, oh so tenderly. Her lips were soft, warm and inviting. Slowly he started to deepen the kiss, determined to savour every moment, knowing they had waited so long for this. Lightly he sucked on her bottom lip and then grazed his tongue along the tender part just inside her mouth. She tasted wonderful. Charlotte shuddered in return and gripped onto his shirt for support as her legs were about to give way beneath her. Sidney’s desire for her was mounting, but still he held back as he let his tongue gently and slowly explore her mouth, enjoying each taste and sensation. Sidney moved his hands up her back to draw her body closer to him as she softly brushed her hands from his chest and up the back of his neck to run her fingers through his hair, lightly tugging as she did so which made him moan and caused Charlotte to break the kiss.

“Sidney?” She said faintly, the tips of their noses still touching, their eyes closed.

“Yes?”

“Don’t ever let me push you away again.”

“Never!” He promised. His mouth found hers again, and this time he did not hold back. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, as if communicating to her that he was never going to let her go again. Charlotte pressed herself against him, her hands round his neck, in his hair, caressing his face. In that moment, all the angst and hurt each of them had felt over the past few months faded away as they lost themselves in each other.


	38. Me and You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So after all the angst of the last few Chapters, I think I owe you all some happy Sidlotte! Get yourselves ready for some romantic fluff.

“We should think about going back.” Charlotte said breathlessly

“Hmm?” Sidney replied as he continued to kiss her along her jaw down her neck.

“Sidney?” she said, shivering slightly as he lightly sucked on her pulse point.

“Sorry, did you say something?” he asked, still continuing to kiss her.

“You are impossible!” She giggled.

“Yes, but you love me!” The thought made his heart skip a beat.

She sighed with happiness. “Yes I do. But we can’t stay here.”

“Why not?”

“Because people will be wondering where we are!”

“Let them. I don’t care what people think.” He said, nibbling her earlobe.

“Sidney!” She said, more as a result of the sensation of his teeth on her ear than to reprimand him.

He sighed in defeat and pulled back from her, but kept his arms linked around her waist. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Plus there’s the dinner tonight…” Charlotte reminded him.

“Oh Christ! I’d forgotten about that!” He replied. Charlotte bit her lip nervously. “What is it?” Sidney asked.

“How… how are we playing the dinner?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean we said we’d do this properly, but does that mean we arrive as a couple or…” Sidney planted a brief kiss on her lips which stopped her mid-sentence.

“I don’t want any more secrets. I love you… and I’m not afraid of the world knowing it.” He said seriously.

“Are you sure?” She asked hesitantly.

“I am. But are you? I mean, I want us to be open with our friends and family, but there may also be some press interest in our love life.”

“You think?”

“Possibly.”

“Oh…”

“Charlotte?” He was looking at her seriously again, wondering if this would put her off.

“It’s just sort of… surreal.

“Welcome to my world!”

Charlotte paused and thought for a moment which made Sidney anxious again. She smiled at him. “You don’t need to look so nervous.”

“Sorry.” He smiled shyly. “I’m still struggling to believe this is actually happening.”

“Well you better start believing it!!” She replied as she stroked her hands up from his chest and around his neck. “I don’t want any more secrets either. This is it now. Me and you.” At this Sidney picked her up and spun her round and she let out a shriek of both shock and happiness.

“God I love you Charlotte Heywood!” He said as he spun her round and set her on the ground again. It was like now he had said he, he couldn’t stop.

“I love you too Sidney Parker… but we need to go! I am technically still working.”

“OK…”

“And you’ll have to help me down the cliff path in these shoes.”

“We’ll just go out the other way.”

Charlotte’s jaw dropped. “There’s another way?” Sidney smirked at her. “Why didn’t you tell me?” She said, hitting on the arm in jest. “I could’ve broken my leg getting up here.”

“Sorry.” He said sheepishly.

“Hmm… Well you had better lead the way then.”

“Can I have just one more kiss before we go?” Sidney asked cheekily.

“I suppose so.” She said grinning. She lifted her face to his and kissed him.

********

Charlotte and Sidney walked back hand in hand to Sanditon House. As they reached the gates, Sidney turned to her. “Ready?” He said. Charlotte nodded shyly. He squeezed her hand affectionately and then they went through the gates. As it turned out, the crowds had substantially thinned out and the majority of their acquaintances had already left. The gates were due to close in the next half hour, and so the catering tents had shut along with the café and the last tours were being made of the house. As they were walking down the path towards the house, they were met by Arthur and next to him, a woman Charlotte hadn’t met before.

“Sidney! Charlotte!” Arthur said delightedly, noticing they were holding hands.

“Arthur, Diana.” Sidney replied. Diana was looking at them curiously.

“Are you going to introduce me?” Diana said, looking from Sidney to Charlotte to their intertwined hands which made Charlotte blush.

“Sure. Diana, this is Charlotte. She’s a lawyer at Thornton & Hale. She’s done a lot of the legal work for Sanditon House… and she also happens to be my girlfriend. Charlotte, this is Diana, my sister.” He said causally. Charlotte’s heart started racing when he called her his girlfriend. It was all starting to become more real.

Diana’s eyes widened in surprise. “Your girlfriend? I didn’t know you were seeing anybody Sidney!”

“Yes, well it’s a fairly recent development.” He confessed, looking at Charlotte softly.

“Oh my God! This is so exciting!” Diana exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. The knowledge that Sidney was with someone was a huge deal for his family as he’d not had a girlfriend since Lizzie. She turned to Arthur “Did you know about this?”

“Maybe a little bit.” He admitted.

“Well, Charlotte, we’ll have to find some time to get to know each other better. Are you staying in Sanditon for the weekend?”

“Oh.” Charlotte hadn’t really thought about it. She looked at Sidney. “Well, I’ve only got the one night booked at the hotel.” She replied.

“I’m sure we can accommodate you for longer Charlotte.” Arthur interjected.

“I thought you were fully booked?” She asked unsure.

“Only our standard rooms.”

“Oh I see.” She looked at Sidney. He was smiling and she took this as confirmation that it was OK to stay longer. “Well, in that case, there’s nothing stopping me from making a weekend of it.”

“Great!” Diana said, almost jumping up and down with enthusiasm. “Perhaps tomorrow afternoon we could go all go out for coffee or something?”

“I’d like that.” Charlotte replied.

“I expect the four trouble makers will want to see you too.” Sidney suggested.

“Oh have you met my nieces and nephews?” Diana asked.

“Yes. I was in Sanditon a few months ago when my sister was in Lewes hospital. My parents and I stayed in one of the holiday lets and Mary had us round for dinner.”

“Well, this gets more intriguing! I look forward to hearing the full story tomorrow.” Diana replied. “Right Arthur – we best be off.”

“Right you are Diana. See you later for dinner.”

“Bye.”

Once Diana and Arthur were out of earshot, Sidney and Charlotte turned to each other a chuckled.

“You know, I quite enjoyed that.” Sidney said.

“I can’t believe you introduced me as your girlfriend!” Charlotte still blushing from the encounter.

“What else am I supposed to call you?”

“I dunno. It just felt… weird… but nice at the same time.”

Sidney knew what she meant. “I’ll take that as a good thing!”

“So am I going to have to hang out with all your family tomorrow then?”

“Yes, probably… Is that OK?”

She sighed. “Only if you promise me you’ll show me your rendition of the Highway Rat.” She teased.

“Deal.”

*************

Despite Edward’s interruption, the opening day of Sanditon House had been a huge success. Everyone was delighted and eager to celebrate. They all descended on Northanger Hotel for the celebratory dinner, around 25 of them in all, where they were to enjoy a three course meal in the Michelin star restaurant. Sidney took his seat next to Charlotte and opposite was them was Mary and Tom.

“Charlotte, it’s so lovely to see you again! How is your sister doing?” Mary asked.

“Her recovery is slow, but she is making good progress. She was discharged from the rehab centre a couple of days ago and is now back home.”

“Oh I’m pleased to hear it. I am glad you were able to visit Sanditon for much nicer reasons today. " Mary said.

“Yes, although it’s been a rather full-on day.” In more ways than one, Charlotte thought.

“How did you find the house Charlotte?” Tom asked.

“Fascinating! You have all done such a wonderful job.”

“Well it couldn’t have happened without you Charlotte.” Tom said admiringly.

Charlotte blushed. “I don’t think that is true. I only did the legal work.”

“No, you are selling yourself far too short Charlotte. You helped us turn this project back around after… well, after I nearly cocked everything up. We owe you a great deal.” Tom said kindly.

“I still think you are overestimating my contribution Tom, but thank you any way. I’m so pleased today was a success.”

“I bumped into Lizzie, Sidney. Did you know she was coming today?” Tom asked. Charlotte looked nervously to Sidney.

“No, I did not.” Sidney said uninterested.

“Did you… did you talk to her?” Tom stuttered, slightly anxious about asking given the history between them and what had happened to Sidney after.

“Yes. And then I sent her away.” There was a sense of finality in the tone of his voice.

“Oh Sidney, I’m sorry, that must have been difficult.” Mary said, full of concern.

“Not really. Just irritating.”

“I wonder why she was here?” Tom asked.

Sidney sighed. “Tom, I know you mean well, but please can we just drop the subject. I’m done with it all.” He did not want to spend all evening talking about Lizzie, especially around Charlotte.

“Yes… yes of course.”

There was an awkward silence.

“My children have been asking after you Charlotte.” Mary said.

“They have?” She was surprised about this as she’d only hung out with them the once and only for about half an hour.

“Oh yes, they were quite taken with you when you visited.”

“And I with them.” Charlotte said smiling at the memories.

“Has Diana not spoken with you?” Sidney asked.

“No.”

“It’s just that there was a suggestion that maybe we could all meet up tomorrow afternoon, seeing as Charlotte is here for the weekend.” He looked at Charlotte softly and put his hand on her leg under the table which made her stomach flip.

Mary was watching the interactions between them closely. “Well they would love that! But I’m sure Charlotte doesn’t want to spend her weekend with the whole Parker family. Unless there’s something you want to share with us?” She said, a glint in her eye.

Charlotte was blushing profusely again. She bit her lip nervously and looked to Sidney who was grinning at her. Mary didn’t need them to say anything to understand what had happened. She didn’t think she’d ever seen Sidney so happy. “Oh I knew you’d work it all out!” she said with glee.

“Work what out?” Tom asked, still confused.

“Oh Tom! Sidney and Charlotte, they’re… well… a couple!”

Tom’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really?” Sidney nodded at him shyly. “Well, I say. This a surprise! I had no idea.”

“Well, it’s a pretty recent thing.” Sidney acknowledged.

“But a long time coming!” Mary said. “I am so pleased for you both and of course, you must come over tomorrow afternoon. If the weather’s nice, we’ll take the children for a walk along the beach.”

“Sounds lovely.” Charlotte said.

Sidney and Charlotte spent the rest of meal engaging in polite conversation with those around them. Tom and Mary excused themselves after dessert to go and mingle, but Sidney and Charlotte stayed at the table.

“Surviving? Sidney asked, angling his chair towards her so he could talk to her more easily.

“Yes, I think so.”

“Not regretting our choice to go public I hope?” he asked half in jest, but half serious. 

She smiled at him. “No, not at all! It’s just a bit… awkward. It’ll be fine once everyone knows.”

“Your Mum’s been texting me.” Sidney confessed.

“My Mum?”

“She was worried about you.”

“Well, I wasn’t in a good way yesterday.” Charlotte said. Sidney reached for her hand. “I probably ought to call her. Oh, my phone’s charging upstairs.”

“Use mine.” Sidney said, taking his phone out of his pocket and unlocking the screen. “You can read her messages first.”

“Thanks. I’ll be back in a bit.” Charlotte walked off to the hotel lobby to make the call. As he’d given her permission, she looked at his messages.

_Jane: Charlotte knows._

_Sidney: Thanks for letting me know._

_Jane: Have you seen Charlotte? Is she OK?_

_Sidney: Yes. She seems well. We’re going to talk later._

_Jane: Good luck!_

_Jane: How did it go?_

_Sidney: Good_ _😊_ _I’ll get Charlotte to call you later._

_Jane: Yes please!_

Charlotte smiled as she read the messages, although it still seemed a bit odd that Sidney and her Mum were communicating! She tapped the button to call her Mum.

When she re-entered the restaurant after her phone call it was pretty much empty and the waiting staff were setting up the tables for breakfast. Wondering where everyone had gone, she returned to the lobby and met Sidney as he was coming out of the cocktail bar.

“I was just coming to see how you were getting on. Is your Mum OK?” Sidney asked.

“Yes. We had a good talk, cleared the air… and obviously she’s thrilled that we worked things out. In fact, she seems more smitten with you than me!”

Sidney chuckled and took Charlotte in his arms. "Well I can be rather charming you know." he teased. 

"Clearly!"

“There’s a few of us having cocktails in the bar if you want to join us?” He asked.

Charlotte suddenly felt nervous. “Actually, I think I’m going to call it a night. It’s been a long day.”

A pang of disappointment shot through Sidney at the thought he'd be saying goodnight, like now he had Charlotte back he didn't want to let her go. He kissed her on the forehead, breathing in her scent as he did so and drew back again. “OK. Well can I meet you for breakfast?” He asked.

She looked up at him with her doe-like eyes. “I… I don’t want you to go.” Charlotte said timidly, brushing her hands down his arms which were linked around her and taking his hands in hers.

Sidney’s heart began racing. Did she mean what he thought she meant? He didn’t want to go either, but he desperately didn’t want to mess this up. He wondered whether they should take things slower this time? After all they’d only reconciled this afternoon. He looked at her lovingly. “We don’t have to rush this you know.” He said. Charlotte’s fingers were starting to slowly stroke his and his body started to tingle, longing to get closer to her. He reached to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear and she closed her eyes at his touch. When she opened her eyes again, Sidney could see her desire for him and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to resist her. 

“I think it’s too late for that, don’t you?” She said quietly making Sidney’s mouth go dry. He had no words, he simply looked at Charlotte in awe. “Please stay.” She whispered. In that moment, Sidney wasn’t able to deny her anything for he was completely lost in her. He let Charlotte lead him by the hand to the lifts and up to her suite.


	39. Perfect bliss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to all readers who are stuck at home self-isolating. Keep safe and well. xx

Charlotte woke up late the next morning, at least much later than she would normally. It was the first decent sleep she’d had in months and it took her a little while to work out why. When the memories of what happened last night came back to her, she couldn’t help but smile. She slowly and nervously opened her eyes. Sidney was lying on his front, fast asleep next to her. Charlotte gazed at him, admiring the contours of his muscular back and arms. She looked to his hands and her body started to tingle as she remembered the feel of his hands on her last night, the way he had stroked, caressed and touched every inch of her body as if she was the most precious thing he’d ever had in his possession.

Whilst this hadn’t been the first time she’d awoken to find herself in bed with Sidney Parker, last night’s antics had felt so different for her from the time before. Charlotte barely knew him the first time and their night together had been fuelled by her excitement and intrigue at the feelings he had awoken in her. This time, however, their lovemaking had been just that – loving. It was still passionate, but also gentle and tender as they took the time to explore and marvel at each other’s bodies. Charlotte was aching to reach out and touch him, but Sidney looked so peaceful that she didn’t want to wake him. Instead she contented herself with just watching him. The longer she watched him, the more her heart started to pound as she realised she was so completely and irrevocably in love with him. As Sidney did not show any signs of waking, Charlotte decided to sneak out of bed and take a shower.

Sidney woke up just as Charlotte got in the shower. He was slightly worried at first when he didn’t see Charlotte next to him. But then he realised the shower was on and he let out a sigh of both relief and happiness that she was still here. For the first time ever, he had a feeling of perfect bliss. He started to remember their activities last night, the awe and wonder he felt as Charlotte’s body reacted when he kissed and caressed her. He’d never made love to anyone in the same way before - like she was an incredible and treasured gift, one that he wanted to love and cherish forever. In his blissful state he became aware that Charlotte had started to sing in the shower. It made him smile. He was looking forward to getting to know all her quirks and traits. He got out of bed and made his way to the door of the bathroom (which was ajar) to hear her better.

_Well I've heard there was a secret chord_

_That David played and it pleased the Lord_

_But you don't really care for music, do you?_

_Well it goes like this:_

_The fourth, the fifth, the minor fall and the major lift_

_The baffled king composing Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah_

_Hallelujah_

Sidney felt like he was listening to an angel. Charlotte had a beautiful voice. Slowly he edged himself further into the bathroom and she stopped instantly as soon as she saw him.

“Please don’t stop on my account.” Sidney said in his deep sleepy voice.

“Sorry, I don’t sing when there’s an audience.” She replied shyly, feeling rather exposed as he was looking at her naked, but then he was naked too.

“I’ll leave you be then…” Sidney said, turning to leave as he didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable.

“Wait.” She called out to him. His heart started racing as he turned back round to face her. Nervously she held on out her hand to him, inviting him to join her. His eyes turned dark as he walked towards her and took her hand.

********

“I didn’t think it was possible to be this happy.” Charlotte said to Sidney as she lay in his arms. He gave her a tender kiss in response, because he felt the same. They lay quietly together for some time, enjoying the peace and tranquillity of the moment, until Charlotte’s stomach rumbled. “Have we missed breakfast?” She asked suddenly.

Sidney chuckled. “Yes, but there is room service.”

“Where’s the menu?” Charlotte said practically jumping out of bed which made Sidney laugh even louder.

“Hungry by any chance?”

“Starving!”

Half an hour later and they were sat at a table in the room dressed in the hotel’s robes eating breakfast together.

“So, I’ve been thinking.” Charlotte said as she sipped her tea.

“Oh yes?”

“We’re long overdue a second date.”

Sidney smiled. “Yes you’re right, we must remedy that.”

“And since you planned the first date, it seems only fair that I should plan the second one.”

“But what about all the date points you gave me?” Sidney said teasingly.

“True – perhaps they can be carried over to the third date… or you can cash them in another time.” Charlotte grinned.

“Sounds fair. So what do you have in mind for the second date?”

“I have some ideas, but I won’t be giving you any spoilers.” Sidney had set the bar really high for the first date, but a thought had come to Charlotte for the second date which meant she wouldn’t be outdone by him. It would take some planning, but she thought she was up to the task.

“I thought we agreed no more secrets?” Sidney stated.

“This isn’t a secret, it’s a surprise. Very different thing.”

“Right… How so?”

“Because a surprise doesn’t hurt anybody.” She’d said it before realising the implications of her words and it brought the teasing and flirting to an abrupt end. “I mean…” Sidney reached for her hand. The thought he had hurt her still haunted him - she could see it in his eyes. She looked at him apologetically and squeezed his hand. “Now I understand it, it doesn’t hurt anymore.” She said softly. “Besides, what I did to you was far worse.”

“No. Please don’t say that. I’d go through it all a hundred times over if it meant I could still be here, sat with you right now.” Sidney said gently – and he meant it. Everything that had happened didn’t matter anymore, because she had now given him her heart and he was going to guard it with his life.

His words brought tears to her eyes. “Sidney - are you sure?” She whimpered, the tears now threatening to fall.

“Never have I been more sure about anything in my life. I love you Charlotte.”

“And I love you.”

He leaned over the table and gave her a lingering kiss.

Charlotte wiped away the couple of tears that had fallen down her cheeks. “God – I don’t think I’ve ever cried as much on someone as I have on you!”

“I wouldn’t want you to cry on anyone else.” He said.

“Christ Sidney! Do you have to be so bloody perfect all the time?” She joked.

“Sorry – I mean it though!” He smiled shyly.

“I know.”

After they’d finished eating, Charlotte finally went to check her phone. She’d not looked at it since yesterday afternoon and a barrage of messages came through.

“God, I’ve got about 20 messages from Susan’s associates saying how nice it was to meet me!”

“Well, you obviously made an impression – which doesn’t surprise me!” Sidney replied as he was going through all the messages on his phone. “Babbers has text. Apparently him and Esther are a thing now?” Sidney said. “I didn’t see that one coming!”

“Yes, Esther confided in me yesterday.”

“She did?”

“Yes, sorry. I should have told you, but you were kind of distracting!” She admitted which made Sidney chuckle. “So what time are we meeting your family?”

“Mary said just to come over after lunch.”

“So what do you want to do before then?” Charlotte asked.

“I can think of a few things.” He said cheekily making his way towards her and wrapping his arms round her waist. Charlotte blushed. “But maybe best to leave that for later… I thought we could have a wander round town – I could show you some of the sights and we could grab lunch somewhere?”

“As much as I love being cooped up in here with you, fresh air would be good.” Charlotte replied. “Let me just do my hair and I’ll be ready.”

“But I like it like this.” He said, lacing his fingers through her hair.

“What wild and messy?”

Sidney nodded. “It’s sexy.” He said in his deep tones which made Charlotte’s stomach flip.

“Huh! Who knew? But it’ll drive me crazy in the wind.” He looked slightly disappointed. “Don’t worry - I’ll be sure to take it down later.” She whispered, giving him another kiss.

***********

Sidney and Charlotte spent a pleasant morning meandering around Sanditon. They went to Sidney’s favourite place – a quirky second hand book shop and browsed the shelves upon shelves of books. As fellow avid reader, Charlotte thoroughly enjoyed herself looking through all the books and picked up a couple for herself and Alison. They went to a coffee shop for a simple lunch (as breakfast had been so late, they weren’t that hungry) and then made their way over to Trafalgar House.

“Charlotte!” Jennie shouted as they entered, as the Parker clan ran towards them. To Charlotte’s surprise, Jennie gave her a hug around the legs.

“Hello Jennie. What a lovely welcome!” Charlotte said.

“You and Uncle Sidney must come with us. We have built a fort to protect us from the Earth Giants and if you stay here, you may be captured!” Jennie exclaimed theatrically.

“Oh, well we can’t have that can we? Lead the way Jennie.” Charlotte replied.

“Earth Giants?” Sidney asked her quietly.

“How have you still not watched Frozen 2 yet?”

“I’ve been busy!” He said defensively.

Charlotte and Sidney spent the next half hour hiding from the Earth Giants in the makeshift fort, until Mary told them all it was time to go out for a walk. After much coaxing and the promise of an ice cream, the children were persuaded to leave their role play behind and join the adults. They met Diana and Arthur on the beach. Despite their initial protests, the children seemed to be having a great time running around on the beach, with the exception of James who Tom was carrying in a back carrier. As the children were now entertaining themselves, Sidney took the opportunity to take Charlotte’s hand in his.

After some polite small talk, Diana decided to ask the question she most wanted answering. “So, Charlotte, forgive me for my directness, but how on earth did you manage to persuade Sidney to give up his bachelorism – because I felt for sure he was a lost cause!” Sidney chuckled.

“Well, I think it was the other way round really.” Charlotte said, looking at Sidney affectionately.

“That is surprising! How did you guys meet?” Diana asked.

“At a New Year’s party. He pushed in front of me at the bar.” Charlotte replied.

“Yes, but I did buy your drinks to apologise.”

“True. And then I thrashed you at pool.” Both of them were grinning at the memories.

“So you’ve been together since New Year?” Diana asked.

“Erm… No.” Sidney replied. “It’s sort of complicated.” He didn’t know how much of it he should divulge.

“My sister was in a car accident. She sustained a really bad head injury and my family went through a really tough time.” Charlotte elaborated.

“Oh I’m so sorry. Is she OK?”

“Yes, she’s doing well thanks. Still a long way to go, but it’s looking positive. It kind of halted anything happening between Sidney and I for a while.” She looked at Sidney slightly nervously to see if he was happy with her explanation. He was smiling at her, so she took that as a yes.

“So this is how you ended up in Sanditon the first time and met Mary and Tom?”

“Yes, as Lewes Hospital has a specialist neurology unit, Alison was transferred there. Sidney followed me there…” She said playfully which made Sidney blush. Diana studied him. Sidney was obviously smitten.

“Then we were both working together on the Sanditon House Project so bumped into each other a fair few times.” Sidney replied. “And then I finally persuaded Charlotte to go out with me.”

“Well, I’m really happy for you both.” Diana said.

“Uncle Sidney – come chase us!” Henry called, interrupting the conversation. Sidney gave Charlotte an apologetic look and ran off. Diana and Charlotte watched them as the sped around the beach.

“Charlotte.” Diana said stopping and turning to her. “I probably don’t need to tell you this, but you need to know that, the reason we’re all so excited about you and Sidney is because, well, after the shitty time he had after Lizzie, we didn’t think he’d ever give his heart away again. You must be someone really special to have allowed him to open up himself again.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“No, believe me, you must be. Sidney clearly adores you.” Diana observed.

“I adore him too. And… and I hope you aren’t worried that…”

“That you will end up breaking his heart?”

“Yes.”

“If Sidney has trusted you with his heart, then we will trust you too.”

Charlotte smiled. “That is very good of you.”

The rest of the afternoon passed by very pleasantly. It was fun being round all of Sidney’s family. They had welcomed Charlotte with open arms and she felt relaxed in their presence. After Sidney and Charlotte had put the children to bed (and Charlotte was treated to Sidney’s rendition of the Highway Rat), they said their goodbyes and headed back to the hotel arm in arm and went up to the room.

“Well, that went a lot better than I expected.” Charlotte commented as she was taking off her shoes. Sidney came over to her and took her in his arms.

“What were you expecting?” He asked, looking deep into her eyes.

“I dunno, something along the lines of the Spanish Inquisition! But your family are so accepting.”

“How could they not be? I don’t think you realise quite how remarkable you are Charlotte Heywood.”

“Yes, but you are biased!” She replied.

“Possibly!” He admitted, smiling slightly.

Charlotte’s heart was starting to race again. Was she always going to be so affected by his presence and his touch? “Thank you.” She said softly.

“For what?”

“For a pretty much perfect day.”

“I don’t think that was my doing.”

“Oh it was!” She said edging her face closer to his. “Because you are pretty remarkable yourself Sidney Parker.” She whispered and closed the gap between them, lightly brushing her lips against his. Sidney took Charlotte’s face in his hands as he slowly started to deepen the kiss and once again they found themselves in a state of complete and utter perfect bliss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song lyrics to "Hallelujah" originally written by Leonard Cohen.


	40. The Second Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to make you wait a bit longer than normal for this Chapter. Hope everyone is keeping safe and well. Schools closing here in the UK at the end of the week which may make writing more tricky with little ones around! The next chapter is largely written though - so expect another update soon. Love to all xx

**Two weeks later**

Sidney was in a bad mood. It was 11am on Friday morning and he’d had a really difficult week at work. He’d not seen Charlotte since Sunday afternoon as she had been working late every night that week trying to close a deal. Even meeting her for lunch had been out of the question because she’d been so engrossed in it. Whilst it had only been a few days since Sidney had seen Charlotte last, he really missed her. They’d talked on the phone and messaged each other, but it wasn’t the same. Sidney really hoped he would be able to spend a decent amount of time with her this weekend.

His phone was rang. It was his PA, Sally, who was sat just outside his office. He tore his eyes away from his computer screen and the email he was drafting and picked up the phone.

“Sally?”

“Mr Parker, your next appointment has arrived.” Even though she’d been his PA for the last three years, Sally still insisted calling him Mr Parker. He’d tried to get her to call him by his first name for a while now, but she wouldn’t have any of it!

“My next appointment? I didn’t think I had any meetings today?” He quickly scanned his calendar, there was nothing in there.

“No, this is a last minute appointment and I’m afraid they are rather insistent that they see you.” Sally said.

 _Oh God, what is it this time?_ “Who is it exactly?” Sally muted the line for a second while she got their names.

“Legal team.” She replied.

 _Shit._ Sidney thought. _Something must have happened - that would explain the lack of calendar invite. This really was not his week._

“OK, send them in.” He said and put the phone down as he prepared himself to welcome his unexpected visitors.

The door opened… and Charlotte walked in looking rather smug.

“F*** – Charlotte! I felt for sure something serious had happened!” He said jumping up out of his chair to embrace her.

“Sorry.” She said as she linked her hands round his waist and gave him a quick kiss.

“What are you doing here? And why aren’t you working?” He asked, looking at her casual attire.

“I’m on leave.” She said a twinkle in her eye.

“On leave?” He asked, confused. Charlotte nodded. “But what about the deal you were working on?”

“All finished.”

“Right… What’s going on here?”

“You’re coming with me.” She said flirtatiously.

“Where?”

“On our second date.”

“What? Now?”

“Yes!”

“Charlotte – I can’t just up and leave, I’m working!”

“No you’re not. I’ve cleared it with everyone.” She was grinning at him.

“OK, I’m obviously missing something here. What are you up to?”

“Sidney Parker, you are officially on annual leave. Sally has cleared your diary for the next few days, it’s all been approved by the powers that be. Now you need to put on your out of office and come with me as we’re on a tight schedule.” Sidney stood completely bemused. Still grinning at him she reached up to stroke his cheek. “Maybe you should stop trying to think about it and just trust me.” She said.

He leaned into her hand and smiled. “OK. Give me five minutes.” He said.

“I’ll wait outside.” She said, giving him another kiss.

Sidney watched her go and shook his head. He was still not sure what was happening, but seeing Charlotte again had made his heart swell and he was feeling excited about what she had planned. He quickly finished the email he was writing, put on his out of office and shut down his computer.

When he got out of his office, he saw Charlotte and next to her were two suitcases and his backpack.

“Ready?” She said.

“Charlotte…” He said softly. “What…?” He didn’t have any words.

“I’m taking you away for a few days. I figured you deserved a holiday, seeing as you haven’t had one for the last three years.” She said looking a little nervous about his reaction.

“You… you even packed for me?”

She nodded and bit her lip. He strode over to her and hugged her tightly. “Oh my God, Charlotte!” No-one had anyone ever done anything like this for him before. He was completely bowled over. He had quite forgotten Sally was still in the room until she cleared her throat. He reluctantly let Charlotte go.

“Come on, we’ve got a train to catch.” Charlotte said.

“Have a lovely time.” Sally said, smiling at them.

They left Sidney’s office in Canary Wharf and walked to the nearest tube station, suitcases trailing behind them.

“When am I allowed to know where we’re going?” He asked.

“When we get to the station, as then I can relax.” She replied.

“How on earth did you manage pull this off?” He was trying to work it all out in his head. How had he not suspected anything?

“I called in a few favours.” Charlotte replied playfully.

“But how did you get into my flat?”

“I broke in…”

“What?”

“I’m joking! I borrowed the spare key from George.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot he had that. But all my meetings and everything…”

“Sidney?” Charlotte interrupted, stopping abruptly.

“Yeah?”

“Relax! You’re on holiday!”

“Sorry.”

They got to St Pancras International Station with plenty of time to spare. Charlotte suddenly felt really nervous. She hoped Sidney didn’t have high expectations for their mini-break as her budget was much more limited than his. She turned to him apprehensively. “So… I couldn’t afford the five star luxury of Northanger Hotel, but I’ve booked us into a really nice hotel which overlooks the canal and is in easy walking distance of everything. It’s even got an indoor swimming pool, which was hard to come by and…”

“Charlotte.” Sidney said gently, taking her hand.

“Yes.” She was slightly shaking due to the nerves.

“I’m sure wherever it is we’re going, I’m going to love it – because I’ll be with you.” He said smiling softly. “The fact you’ve gone to all this trouble is… well, quite frankly blowing my mind. Although I’m not sure you can quite call this a date.”

“Why not?” She said disappointedly.

“Because isn’t a date meant to be a one-off event, rather than a few days’ holiday?”

“OK, you have a point, but I wanted to do something special for you.”

Sidney pulled her closer to him. “Well you have certainly outdone yourself Miss Heywood.” He said in his deep sexy tones and he couldn’t resist kissing her again. He really had missed her this week. “Now please tell me where we’re going as I’m dying to know!”

“Oh yes, sorry.” She had been distracted by the kissing. “We’re going to Bruges.”

“Ah – nice.”

“Have you been before?”

“No. I’ve been to Brussels, but not Bruges. Have you?”

“No. But I’ve watched In Bruges if that counts?”

“Right…”

Charlotte smiled at him. “You know the film with Colin Farrell?” Sidney shrugged. “Seriously! We need to book in some movie nights.” An announcement came over the tannoy saying they could start boarding their train so they made their way to the platform.

Four(ish) hours later and Sidney and Charlotte arrived in Bruges. It was early evening by the time they arrived and they got to their accommodation just as the sun was setting. The hotel was charming and in an ideal location for seeing all the sights.

Sidney went to change before they went out. He also wanted to inspect what Charlotte had packed in his bag. She’d only visited his apartment in Greenwich a couple of times since they’d got together so how she had managed to even find his passport was a mystery! But Charlotte had indeed managed to find and pack everything that he needed for the next few days – he was impressed.

“Did you find what you needed?” Charlotte asked as she joined him in the bedroom. He was sat on the bed changing into a t-shirt. She caught a glimpse of his torso and her body instantly started reacting to the sight.

“Yes, everything seems to have been packed to my satisfaction thank you.” Sidney replied teasingly.

“Well that’s a relief!” She said, coming to sit down on the bed next to him. “Sidney, you should know that there’s… there’s a reason why I wanted to do something special for you for our second date, as well as to give you a long overdue holiday.”

“OK.”

She took a deep breath. “This holiday, it’s really just a way for me to say thank you – for what you did for my family.”

“Charlotte…” Sidney started to interrupt and she put a finger to his lips to stop him from talking which caused his stomach to flip.

“No please let me say it.” She said, lightly removing her finger from his lips which were tingling. “Everything you did from sorting out the holiday let, paying for Alison’s rehab place, even buying my Mum and I a spa voucher… it made a really shitty time that much more bearable. You looked after us all, and you helped give Alison the best possible chance of recovery. You helped bring my sister back to me when I was sure she would be lost and no words… no words can express what that meant to me.” Charlotte paused as the tears started to prickle at the corners of her eyes. “Sidney, you are the kindest, the most generous… the most wonderful person I’ve ever met. And my family and I… well we’re just so incredibly grateful for all that you did for us.”

Sidney took Charlotte’s face in his hands and drew his forehead to hers. He closed his eyes and breathed heavily. “I did it all for you, Charlotte.” He said, his voicing cracking from all the emotion.

“I know…” She whispered, her heart thumping loudly in her chest. “God I love you!” She declared as she pressed her lips on his and slipped her tongue into his mouth. She pulled him down onto her as she reclined on the bed, all thoughts of dinner disappearing from her mind as the need to be close to him took over her whole being.

***********

After Sidney and Charlotte somewhat reluctantly left their hotel room the first evening, they found a lovely restaurant in the market square to have dinner. Here they admired all the beautiful architecture, including the magnificent belfry tower.

“So do you think it’s taller than the monument?” Charlotte asked.

“Hmm… Maybe.”

“I think you can go up it if you fancy it?”

Sidney smirked. “Are you planning on putting fairy lights at the top?”

“Well… I wasn’t able to call in any favours to pull off that one! But I have had some thoughts about some other activities.” Sidney smirked. “I mean, away from the hotel room.” She clarified.

“OK.”

“As this is your first holiday in an age, you get to pick what we do.” Then noticing the glint in his eye she added. “Well, within reason.”

“What activities did you have in mind?” Sidney asked.

“Well it depends on where you are on the scale of an active sort of holiday person or a “do not a lot” holiday person.”

“Probably leaning more towards active. If you’re visiting somewhere new, shouldn’t you explore it a little?”

Charlotte smiled. “My thoughts exactly. Well, we obviously have to sample the chocolate here, so perhaps a trip to the chocolate museum? There’s also a beer tour – but that may become a bit rowdy. And then there’s the Basilica, a horse and carriage ride, boat trip along the canal… whatever you fancy really.”

“All sounds great to me.” He said, looked at her admiringly.

“What?” She said.

“I still can’t believe you did all this!”

“Am I not allowed to surprise my boyfriend?” Charlotte grinned.

Sidney smiled at her. “That’s the first time you’ve called me that.”

“Really?”

Sidney nodded. “I like it.” He replied, completely love-struck and he couldn’t resist leaning over the table to give her a kiss.

“So does that mean I’ve earnt some date points?” She asked cheekily.

“I thought we established this isn’t a date?” He joked.

“I never agreed to that! Plus you got to have three parts to your date, so can’t we just say tonight is part one?”

“Sounds like a reasonable compromise.”

“So do I get any points for part one or not?”

“Charlotte Heywood, no one has ever done anything like this for me before! I think you’ve earnt yourself more than just a few date points.”

“What did you have in mind?” Charlotte asked suggestively.

“I’m still thinking about it… Maybe starting with me buying you a chocolatey dessert?”

“Yes please!”

*********

The next few days were spent exploring Bruges and all it had to offer. Sidney was totally smitten with the place… or maybe not so much the place, but the person who he was there with. There was something incredibly romantic about walking down the cobbled streets hand in hand, sitting side by side in a horse and carriage and enjoying a candlelit dinner at one of Bruges’s enchanting restaurants. The chocolate museum was also a delightful experience as seeing Charlotte enjoying the chocolate samples was pretty seductive. Sidney even managed to persuade Charlotte to dance with him at one of Bruges’ night clubs one evening which took him back to their first dance on New Year’s Eve. He knew Charlotte had her anxieties about it, but she was by no means a bad dancer and once again Sidney found himself completely entranced as held her close and swayed with her to the music. Above all, it was just wonderful to be able to spend uninterrupted time with Charlotte and he knew it would be hard to go back to their day-to-day routines once the holiday was over, particularly as the next few months were going to be really busy for the both of them.

Sidney woke up before Charlotte on the final morning of their holiday. He instantly felt a pang of disappointment that this was to be the last morning he’d wake up next to her for a few days. He’d gotten used to their morning rituals and how quickly it had become comfortable to be around her all the time. He suddenly had a thought that made his heart race. What if this could be his life to come? Waking up next to Charlotte every day? Watching her sleep so peacefully? Bringing her a cup of tea in bed? Making love to her in their own home…? Sidney wanted it. He wanted it so badly. But it was very early on in their relationship, and it had been a bit of a rocky start. Yes the way their relationship had started had perhaps been a little less than conventional and of course they were very much in love, but the next step was a big deal and the timing needed to be right.

He watched Charlotte for a little while, but eventually couldn’t resist reaching out his hand and caressing her face. Slowly she started to stir and then smiled.

“Morning.” She said, her eyes still closed.

“Hey.” He replied as he moved over to her, kissed her head tenderly and then drew her into his arms.

“I’m going to miss this.” Charlotte said as she snuggled sleepily into Sidney’s nook.

“Me too.”

They lay together quietly for a while, Charlotte still drifting in and out of sleep. Once she had come round fully, she tentatively asked “So, after today – when am I going to see you again?”

Sidney sighed. “Probably the weekend.”

“OK.” She replied disappointedly.

Sidney turned to look at her. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault! We’ll just have to make the most of the time we spend together… Starting now.” She replied as she moved closer to him and kissed him gently. Sidney pulled her body towards him and pressed her to him. Before he started to deepen the kiss, he withdrew from her temporarily and cupped her face with his hand. Looking deep into her eyes he said. “Thank you for a wonderful holiday.”

She looked up to him, her eyes full of longing. “You’re welcome. I love you, Sidney.” She said breathlessly.

“And I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My husband has always wanted to take me to Bruges, but nearly 12 years on and we've not got round to it yet... This is me living vicariously through my characters!


	41. The Charity Ball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone is safe and well. Big hugs to you all. xx
> 
> So this is the penultimate chapter folks. I think the story has run its course now and is coming to a natural end. I'll be sad to stop writing it though. I have a new story in mind - so look out for that one in the next week or so! I also need to finish Happily Ever After... I guess I'll have more time now we're social distancing for the foreseeable future, but writing these works is one way in which I hope to spread a little happiness in such strange and uncertain times.
> 
> Please take care of yourselves.

**18 July 2020**

It was 10am on Saturday morning and Charlotte was nervously waiting in her living room for Sidney to arrive. He’d been away for the last week in New York for a business trip and whilst it was only a four hour time difference, it had been difficult to keep in touch due to all the demands on Sidney’s time while he was there. Charlotte hadn’t realised how much she’d miss him. It was like she had a physical ache inside. Since their holiday in Bruges they had tried to spend every spare moment together, but it had been hard due to their working patterns. Inevitably it meant that they were only able to see each other at the weekends, and even then they hadn’t had much time alone as they found themselves visiting family and friends.

They’d visited Charlotte’s family in Willingden a few weeks ago. Charlotte’s Mum had been absolutely thrilled to see Sidney again and had doted on him as soon as he walked through the door. Charlotte’s Dad wanted to show Sidney the farm and they had had lengthy discussions about solar farms and anaerobic digestion plants – ideas her Dad was considering as alternative business endeavours. Turns out Sidney knew a fair bit about it and the two of them had hidden away in her Dad’s office for quite some time discussing it one evening.

As Sidney and Charlotte were staying at the Heywood farm, the sleeping arrangements had been far from ideal as Charlotte’s parents insisted they not share a room for the sake of Charlotte’s younger siblings. This meant Charlotte had to share with Alison and Sidney was left in one of the tiny attic rooms where you couldn’t even swing a cat. There were always so many people around anyway that there was little point even trying to sneak around. In hindsight, they should have stayed at the B&B down the road, but at least they knew that for next time. Still, it had been a lovely, if a bit full-on, weekend.

Two weeks ago, Charlotte and Sidney went up to Durham for James’ wedding. When Charlotte had proposed the idea of Sidney being her plus one, she was sure he wouldn’t want to accept it, but to her surprise he had. There was a slight awkwardness when she introduced Sidney to James, but other than that it had been a nice day catching up with university friends she hadn’t seen for ages. Sidney was good in these sorts of social situations, and so he was charming and delightful and all her friends were gushing about him by the end of the day. Esther had also brought Babington along to the wedding. Charlotte still couldn’t quite believe that he had persuaded Esther to go out with him! It was clear that Babington was absolutely besotted with Esther. Esther was more reserved, as this was her nature, but Charlotte caught the odd look between them that convinced her that she was equally as besotted with him.

And then last weekend was Georgie’s hen party. Charlotte had booked a cottage in the Cotswolds with a hot tub. It was pretty raucous, but good fun and most importantly – Georgie had a blast. However, whilst Charlotte returned to London on the Sunday afternoon, she did not get to see Sidney that weekend because he had an early morning flight on the Monday. So it had been nearly two weeks since they had last seen each other, which seemed like an eternity to Charlotte. And now here she was waiting for him to call on her. She was feeling excited, but also nervous!

Clara emerged from her bedroom still in her pyjamas and plonked herself down on the sofa.

"Morning" she yawned.

"You were back late last night... And it didn't sound like you were alone." Charlotte commented as she looked around to see if Clara's companion was around.

Clara smirked. "Sorry if we woke you up."

"No you’re not!” Charlotte retorted. Clara grinned at her even more. “Harry I assume?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes."

"So when are you two going to admit this is more than just a friends with benefits arrangement? I mean, he's here every weekend, you've been at it for months and you even seem to be exclusive? Sounds like a relationship to me."

Clara shrugged. "We just haven't really defined it." Charlotte shook her head at her. "What?" Clara asked.

"I just don't get it, that's all."

“That’s because you’re a traditionalist.” Clara observed.

“I hardly think my relationship with Sidney is “traditional” – I mean it started with a one night stand.”

“Fair point, but what I mean is that you crave commitment, fidelity, romance… marriage.”

“Don’t most people?”

“Yes – but that is a traditionalist lifestyle. I am more… modern.”

“Right…” Charlotte said, still feeling rather befuddled.

"So I'm assuming because you’re up and looking nice that Sidney is on his way?" Clara observed.

"Yes, he'll be here any minute." Charlotte replied, wringing her hands in nervous excitement.

“Still getting butterflies when you see him then?”

Charlotte smiled shyly. “Yes.”

"I'm really glad things are going so well for you two."

"Me too, although..."

"Although?"

"I dunno, I'd just like to see more of him than I do." Charlotte said.

"Well you've both got full on jobs." Clara reasoned.

"Yeah I know. And I love my job, but I love him too and I miss him when we don’t get to see each other."

"Still, there are some benefits to not seeing each other as often.” Clara said.

“There are?” Charlotte asked innocently.

“Yes! I’ve always found it makes sex more exciting."

"Clara - you are so outrageous!”

"What? It's true! Don't pretend that's not the first thing you're going to do when he gets here."

"Actually we're going out for coffee." Charlotte replied smugly.

Clara rolled her eyes at her. At that moment the doorbell rang. Charlotte practically leapt out of her chair which made Clara laugh. She hastily walked to the front door, took a deep breath, and opened it.

As soon as Charlotte saw Sidney she squealed with joy and jumped into his arms.

"Woah! Missed me then?" he said laughing and squeezing her tightly.

"Like crazy!" she said then proceeded to plant a lingering and passionate kiss on his lips. Sidney set her down on her feet and they gazed at each other for a moment. "What’s in the bag?" Charlotte asked noticing Sidney was carrying something.

"Presents." He replied.

"You got me presents?" She said, feeling touched.

"Of course!"

"How did you find the time to do that?"

"Where there's a will there's a way."

"You spoil me Sidney Parker!" She said, kissing him again. "But do you mind if I look at them later? It's just Harry stayed here last night and I quite want to escape."

"Crowe’s here again?” Sidney asked. Charlotte nodded. “You know, that should no longer surprise me! Yes, we can go – I know you’ll be worried about missing your allocated coffee slot."

"You know me too well." Charlotte replied, giving him yet another kiss.

They made their way to the coffee shop down the road and Sidney bought Charlotte her usual flat white whilst he opted for an americano. They found a table behind a pillar so they were shielded from the view of other customers.

“You know I don’t think we’ve sat down for a coffee, just the two of us for about a month.” Charlotte commented.

“I think you’re right. I’m sorry I’ve been so busy.”

“It’s not just you. Georgie’s wedding planning is taking up much more time than I anticipated. I’m looking forward to it, but I’ll be glad when it’s all over.” She admitted. “I guess we always knew it was going to be a full on few months, but I just wasn’t prepared for how much I was going to miss you.” She said timidly and looked down at her coffee.

Sidney reached over, took her hand and gave it a squeeze. He felt the same and he knew one way to make things easier, but he was still afraid it was too soon. “I know, it sucks. But at least I don’t need to go abroad for a while now.” He replied, then wanting to change the subject, he said "So… it's the Elliot Foundation Charity Ball at the Guildhall next Friday night."

"So it is.” Charlotte replied, retracting her hand from his and pretending it was to drink her coffee, but actually thinking he was going to tell her this was another evening where they weren’t going to be able to see each.

“Well, anyway I happen to have tickets.”

“I thought you might. And are you looking forward to your night networking with the rich and famous?”

Sidney was suddenly nervous. “Well, I would look forward to it much more if you would consider being my plus one?"

"Me? Really?" Charlotte asked. Sidney nodded apprehensively. Charlotte continued "Oh Sidney, I'm not sure. Hanging out with celebrities who I have nothing in common with… And won't there be a lot press there?"

"Yes, but there will be business people there too. I think Susan and some of her associates will probably be going who you know. And Babbers too of course. But it's OK if you don't want to." He lowered his eyes to his coffee. He would understand if she would rather not because they’d managed to keep their relationship off the press's radar so far and going together would almost certainly cause some interest if previous articles were anything to go by. But he would be disappointed if she decided not to go with him. "I know going there with me would be a big deal, so if you're not ready, that's fine.”

Charlotte hesitated for a moment. He was right, it was a big deal. If the press were there, then they’d certainly be photographed together because there was no way she would arrive without him. But hadn’t she signed up to this when she gave him her heart and he gave her his? "No. No, I'll come."

"Are you sure?"

Charlotte smiled. "You're right it is a big deal and yes the potential press interest does terrify me. But I meant what I said. This is it now. Me and you." Sidney’s heart soared and he gave her a shy smile. It would be the first event he’d ever been to where he’d be arriving with someone. It was nerve-wracking, but it felt right. He leaned over the table and gave her a kiss. Charlotte whispered. “Just promise you won’t leave me on my own!”

“I promise.” He said, kissing her again.

Then she suddenly had a thought that filled her with dread… “Oh God – will there be dancing?”

Sidney chuckled. “It is a Ball.” Charlotte’s eyes widened. “You know, you really aren’t that bad a dancer once you stop thinking about it.” He said smiling.

“Right…”

“You can change your mind you know?”

“No. It’s fine… But if I’m going to this Ball, that does mean our weekend plans need to change a bit…” Charlotte said.

“Why?”

“Because if my photograph is being taken, I need a new dress.” She said mischievously.

“Ah yes, you’re right! And I happen to know just the person who can help.” Sidney said getting out his phone.

“You do?”

“Yes” he said hitting the call button. _“Mario, it’s Sidney… Very well thank you. You don’t happen to have any appointments this afternoon do you? My girlfriend needs an evening dress for a Ball on Friday… Fantastic. See you then.”_

“Mario?”

“He runs a boutique in Mayfair. We’ve got an appointment at 2pm.”

Charlotte’s eyes widened “In Mayfair?”

“Yes.” Sidney replied, a twinkle in his eye. He had no doubt that Charlotte would look gorgeous in whatever she was wearing, but this particular occasion warranted something extra special. Mario’s boutique had a number of unique designer dresses which would guarantee that Charlotte wouldn’t end up wearing the same dress as someone else.

“Is there anyone in London that you don’t know?” Charlotte asked.

“Plenty. I just happen to know the right people.”

“The right people? And am I one of these ‘right people’.” She asked playfully.

“Charlotte Heywood, you are the most significant person I happen to know.” He replied, unable to resist kissing her yet again. “Now I think it’s time for you to look at your presents.”

She looked at him eagerly and nodded. He handed over the bag of goodies. Curious, Charlotte put her hand into the bag. First up was the iconic “I [heart] NY” t-shirt and mug, and then a box of cookies but she froze before she pulled out the final item. She looked at Sidney, her eyes wide in surprise. He was looking at her nervously. Her hands were shaking slightly as she lifted out a Tiffany’s blue gift bag. She lifted out the box inside and opened it. It was beautiful silver bracelet with a heart charm. On one side was an engraving which said “ME & YOU.”

“Sidney…” She gasped.

“Do you like it?” He asked anxiously.

“Like it? Oh my God Sidney! It’s beautiful.”

“I thought you could wear it next Friday.”

“Did you now?” She said teasingly. He smiled shyly at her. “Thank you. I love it.” She said as she leaned over and pressed her lips against his.

***********

“Charlotte – are alright in there? We really ought to get moving as the taxi will be here in minute.” Sidney called to Charlotte through the bathroom door in his Greenwich apartment. Charlotte had come to his place so they could journey together to the Ball.

“Sorry – won’t be long.” She called back.

Charlotte looked in the mirror and hardly recognised herself. The dress she had chosen from Mario’s boutique was rather like the classic Julia Roberts’ pretty woman dress. It was a burgundy off the shoulder full length dress with a sweetheart neckline and fishtail skirt with a short trail. When Sidney had seen her in it the first time, he had been rendered speechless and this is how she knew for sure it was the right one!

Charlotte had popped to the hairdressers after work where the hairdresser styled her hair in a simple, but sophisticated updo and she’d also had her make-up done, as she was no good at that. She’d then hurried to Sidney’s afterwards. He had picked up her dress later that afternoon as it had needed some minor alterations. Now she was in her dress, she was feeling rather nervous, so she’d hidden in the bathroom for the last ten minutes trying to gather herself together.

“Charlotte? Are you sure you’re OK? The taxi’s here.” Sidney asked again.

“Yes… I’m fine.” Charlotte replied, fiddling with her Tiffany’s bracelet. She took a deep breath and opened the bathroom door. Sidney was waiting on the other side. He was gazing at her adoringly and looking like James Bond in his tuxedo which sent her heart aflutter. He walked over to her and took her hands in his, his eyes dropping briefly to the bracelet that he had gifted her and he couldn’t help but grin.

“You look incredible.” Sidney said, his voice deep and sexy.

“Thank you.” Charlotte replied shyly.

“You’re nervous.” He observed.

“I’m terrified.” She clarified.

Sidney drew Charlotte close to him so that their noses were almost touching and she gasped due to the effect of the sudden nearness of him. “You don’t need to be afraid. You’ll be with me.” He whispered. He lightly, but sensually brushed his lips against hers and Charlotte was sure her legs were about to go from under her. He drew back from her slightly.

“If you do that again, then we’ll never leave.” Charlotte said quietly.

“Very well. Let’s go before I give in to that temptation.” He replied as broke apart from her and they made their way out the front door to the taxi.

The scene outside the Guildhall was like nothing Charlotte had ever experienced before. All the taxis were queuing up to deposit the guests who then had to make their way along a red carpet, past a smattering of press hoping to snap someone of note and through the main entrance. Slowly they edged their way to the front. Sidney grasped Charlotte’s hand and gave it a squeeze to reassure her. Finally their taxi was at the front of the queue. Sidney got out his side of the car and then went round to open Charlotte’s door. She took a deep breath before exiting. Sidney offered her his hand as she got out the taxi and held onto his hand tightly.

“Mr Parker? Mr Parker?” Came the chants of the reporters and photographers and a lot of flashing lights. “Who is your plus one?” “Come and introduce us.” “What happened with Lizzie Barnes?”

Charlotte was trying not to look at the cameras as the flashes were blinding. She kept her eyes forward towards the entrance as she let Sidney lead her by the hand along the red carpet. Sidney leant over to whisper. “You’re doing great.” She looked over to him, he was smiling at her, and she couldn’t help but smile in return, even though the cameras were still clicking.

It seemed like a long walk to the entrance, but in reality it was only about a minute. They couldn’t walk too fast because of the shoes Charlotte was wearing! Once they got in Charlotte let out a sigh of relief. Sidney still kept hold of her hand as they picked up a glass of Pimm’s and went into the Great Hall. Charlotte looked around, hoping to recognise someone she knew, but there was no-one, although she did spot the odd TV personality and soap actor.

“So do you know any of these people?” Charlotte asked.

“Know is a strong word. I am acquainted with a some of them.”

“Right.”

“I’ll try and only introduce you to my more interesting acquaintances.”

“OK. And can we please avoid your misogynistic contacts this time? You know I won’t be able to hold my tongue.” She teased.

“Sure.” He smiled, remembering that previous encounter at the accountant’s dinner.

They spent a good couple of hours mingling with Sidney’s various contacts, eating canapes and enjoying the free drinks until they finally spotted Susan and Babington.

“Susan!” Charlotte said, delighted she had finally met someone she knew.

“Charlotte – how happy I am to see you here and looking as stunning as ever!” Susan said, kissing both her cheeks.

“Thank you Susan. It’s so nice to see you again. How have you been?”

“Busy, which is how I like it.” Susan replied.

“It sounds like Sanditon House is having a good first season?”

“Yes, it is doing incredibly well for a project so in its infancy. And working with Esther has been a delight. Turns out she is a formidable businesswoman.”

“I never doubted it! It’s a shame she couldn’t join us this evening, but I doubt this would be her sort of thing.”

“No, you’re probably right. It seems that things with you and Sidney have all worked out rather marvellously.”

“Yes.” She said glancing at Sidney who was in conversation with Babington.

“I knew love would find a way.” Susan said.

An announcement was made that the band were making their way onto the make-shift stage and many people started to make their way to the dancefloor. Sidney came over to Charlotte.

“Forgive me Susan, but I was wondering if I could steal my girlfriend away from you to join me for a dance or two?” He said.

“By all means.” Susan said.

Charlotte looked nervously at Sidney. She was not looking forward to this bit at all and was rather hoping there would be more people on the dancefloor than there were at present so she could feel less exposed. Sidney took her by the hand and headed towards the front of the stage. The band were a jazz ensemble and the lead vocalist had the most beautiful and enchanting voice. The whole ambience of the evening was pretty romantic.

“Sidney – I’m not sure about this.” Charlotte said as they got closer and closer to the dancefloor. She found herself looking around the room and was sure everyone was staring at them.

“Trust me.” He whispered in her ear.

Sidney turned Charlotte round to face him and held out his hand. She tentatively slipped her hand into his as he put his hand on her waist and drew her close to him. His heart started thumping as held her and led her round the dancefloor. It felt as if she had always belonged in his arms and he did not want to let her go – not even to spin her around because of the need to be close to her. Sidney looked at Charlotte affectionately and knew in this moment that there was no going back, because this was it for him now. He was all in and it was time for him to be honest with her about wanting to take the next step in their relationship. Sidney was nervous about whether Charlotte felt the same, but if he didn’t say something tonight, he would regret it.

There was something about dancing with Sidney that made Charlotte forget everything around her. She felt like she was floating round the room with him, her feet moving on their own accord. It was like an outer body experience – but in a good way because it made her forget her insecurities. The way Sidney was looking at her made her feel like she was the only person in the room and she couldn’t tear her eyes away from his. They danced like this for a few songs, but the intensity of feelings in both of them was quite overwhelming and after the third song, Sidney suggested they have a breather.

“Come with me.” Sidney said. He led Charlotte out of the Great Hall and into the corridor. Sidney was looking for a more secluded spot away from prying eyes, and he found a hidden alcove which he pulled Charlotte into.

“There’s… there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you for a while now.” Sidney said, still holding her hand to steady his nerves.

“OK.” Charlotte replied, also nervous about what he might say.

Sidney took a deep breath. “I know it’s been hard for both of us not seeing each other as often as we would like – and it’s nobody’s fault, it’s just the ways things are. But… but I’ve been thinking about how we might make it a bit easier.”

Charlotte’s heart started to beat faster. “You have?”

“Move in with me.” He said earnestly, his eyes intensely searching hers.

Charlotte smiled. “That wasn’t a question.”

Sidney smiled back shyly. “You’re right. I’ll try again. Charlotte Heywood, will you move in with me?”

She took a step closer to him. “Yes, I’d like that very much.” Sidney breathed a sigh of relief as Charlotte kissed him softly. “But please can we redecorate the bedroom?”

Sidney chuckled. “We can do whatever you want! It will be your home too.”

Charlotte bit her lip as she started to fully appreciate the significance of moving in with him. “Our first home together.” Sidney nodded and Charlotte gave him a dazzling smile. “I’ll have to break the news to Clara, but I don’t think she’ll be too surprised.”

“Maybe Crowe will move in with her.”

“Maybe… but apparently they have a ‘modern’ relationship – whatever that means.”

“Well he seems pretty content with whatever arrangement they’ve got between them.” Sidney said.

“Well then they’re happy which is good I suppose… How much longer do you think we need to stay here?” Charlotte asked.

“Maybe another hour or so. Are you not enjoying yourself?”

“I am enjoying being with you.” Charlotte answered honestly.

Sidney smiled. “Same… Fancy another dance?”

“Sure.” She replied.

And they made their way back to the dancefloor.

FRONT PAGE DAILY STAR

_Sorry ladies – he’s taken!_

_Long term bachelor and businessman, Sidney Parker is officially off the market! He has been spotted out on several occasions with Charlotte Heywood, commercial lawyer at Thornton & Hale LLP, but their appearance at the Elliot Foundation Charity Ball last night confirmed the romance. They arrived at the Guildhall hand in hand and even though they did not pose for photographs, showed of an amorous display of a couple very much in love. They were later photographed leaving the venue together in the early hours of the morning. Heywood was looking stunning in a burgundy Jovani dress. _

_Parker was engaged to Lizzie Barnes five years ago and has also been linked in the past to supermodels Thelma Jones and Yasmin Flowers. His romance with Heywood is believed to have started some months ago, despite rumours that he had rekindled his relationship with Barnes following her split from Frederick Campion when they were spotted together at the Natural History Museum’s Valentines Gala. Barnes flew back to LA in May after visiting her family in London for a few months. It is believed she intends to stay in the US for the foreseeable future._


	42. New Year's again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So folks... This is it. The end of this story. 
> 
> Before writing Sanditon fan fiction, I hadn't written a story since I was at school nearly 20 years ago. I never set out to write a novel, but apparently, as this is 100,000+ words that is indeed what I have achieved - not sure how that happened! 
> 
> Thank you for all your wonderful comments - it's been so lovely to read them. You guys are so encouraging and I love how much you engaged with this story and rooted for the lead characters. The Sanditon Sisterhood is such a wonderful community to be part of and I really hope that we get the season 2 we are all fighting for. Keep fighting! You guys are great!
> 
> Enjoy this last chapter! Stay safe, stay well and take care of yourselves. xxx

**31 December 2020**

The morning sunlight crept through the curtains and woke Sidney up from his slumber. He glanced across the bed at Charlotte, who was still fast asleep, and smiled. This had been his life for the last five months – waking up beside her every day and it still felt like a novelty. Charlotte had seemed to fit into his home and his life so easily – like she was always meant to have been there. True to his word, they had redecorated the bedroom of the Greenwich apartment and he’d let Charlotte put her own stamp on the place because he wanted it to be their home, and not just his. They had still been busy with work, but it felt so good to be able to come home to her every night (or her come home to him as was usually the case), to eat dinner together (which they’d been able to do surprisingly often) and go to bed together. Charlotte had even managed to convince Sidney to watch some movies on the free evenings they had together – something he always thought he would never have the time for (except when he was watching Frozen with the Parker clan!).

There had been little interest in their love life since the Daily Star article which Sidney was grateful for. In the first few days after the article broke, both Charlotte and Sidney had received a few phone calls from reporters asking for a comment, but other than that, they were no longer deemed newsworthy, which was a relief! Furthermore, there had been no word from Lizzie. He’d not read the articles, but apparently she was now dating Gregory Welsh, a pop star turned actor. He could say with all honestly that since being with Charlotte he’d not given her a further thought. With Lizzie out of his life, it felt like a weight had been lifted. All in all, Sidney was happy and content. Life was good!

Sidney got out of bed and looked out the window. It looked like it was going to be another beautiful day in the Maldives. There had been a bit of negotiation with Esther and Clara as to whether he was permitted to take Charlotte away for New Year, seeing as it was the friends’ annual tradition. However, he had managed to persuade them in the end, particularly as Charlotte went on a girls’ holiday with them in the summer without him. It was therefore only fair that he got to have Charlotte to himself for New Year, particularly as it marked the anniversary of when they first met. It seemed important to mark the occasion with something special and now here they were on an extravagant, no expense spared holiday with their own private villa.

Sidney had found himself a little less busy over the past few months. Since Susan had become involved with the Sanditon House Project, Tom had not needed to call on him so much which Sidney was grateful for. Somehow Susan had managed to rein Tom and his extravagant ideas in. Sanditon House was currently closed for the winter period which gave all concerned the chance to reflect and put together the next years’ business plan. Its first season had been a tremendous success and Sidney was pleased for his brother that things were working out so well.

Since opening day, Edward had made a real effort to make amends with Esther, no doubt encouraged by Babington. Off the drink and drugs he was much more pleasant to be around, and had actually ended up working in the Sanditon House café over the summer. Edward had returned to Manchester in October and got himself a new job and things were looking much more positive for him.

Babington’s father had died over the summer, and so now he was officially the Earl of Chichester and had taken over the full running of the estate. This meant that Crowe now dealt with the majority of the management of the wine bars in London, both of which were doing really well and plans were afoot for acquiring a third premise in the next few months. Clara and Crowe’s ‘arrangement’ came to natural end after the summer after Clara finished her PhD and moved back to Birmingham to start her post-doctorate and to be closer to her family. Both of them seemed pretty content with things, even if Charlotte never really got her head around it all. Babington and Esther were still going strong, despite Esther’s reservations about being in a relationship with an Earl. In fact, Esther seemed to be spending much more time at Babington’s estate since Sanditon House was closed and Babington had recently confided in Sidney that he intended to propose to Esther fairly soon. Sidney couldn’t really imagine Esther as a Countess, but he was happy for his friend.

Sidney watched as the sun started to rise higher over the horizon. The Island they were staying on was absolutely idyllic. But more than that, it was heavenly to have Charlotte all to himself with nothing, and more importantly, no-one to interrupt them – and this is how he liked it best. This was especially important today and Sidney suddenly felt his stomach flip as he thought about what he had planned. He turned round and glanced at his suitcase nervously and tiptoed over to it, anxious not to wake Charlotte. He rummaged around to find the sock in which he had hidden a small, but significant, package. He knew he’d packed it, but he kept having to make sure it was there.

Charlotte stirred and Sidney quickly hid the sock and walked round to the other side of the bed to sit next to her. She briefly opened her eyes, looked at him and smiled, before closing them again.

“Morning beautiful.” Sidney said as he gently stroked her head.

“Good morning.” Charlotte replied sleepily. “Have you been awake for long?”

“No, not really.”

“Then come back to bed.” She said reaching for him and pulling him towards her. Sidney chuckled. He slid in next to her and she snuggled into his arms all warm and sleepy. He reached his hand to her face and gently brushed her hair out her face, leaving his thumb there to stroke her cheek. He gazed at her as she kept her eyes closed, his heart thumping loudly in his chest and thinking that he would happily stay like this for eternity. “I love you.” He whispered.

She smiled, her eyes still closed. “I love you too.” Charlotte replied. Sidney brushed his lips against her forehead tenderly. Then slowly and gently he kissed her temple, then her cheeks and her nose. He stroked her luscious lips with his thumb and she whimpered quietly fuelling his desire for her. He caught her mouth with his and kissed her hungrily and they passionately gave themselves to each other.

***************

Charlotte was having a wonderful time in the Maldives. She would have happily have gone anywhere with Sidney, but she had to admit that the Maldives was the most perfect choice of holiday destination. Their luxurious holiday villa had their own private pool and a butler service, along with various private dining options as well as a restaurant on site. It was like another world to Charlotte who was used to the classic European package holidays. She felt truly spoilt by the experiences Sidney had lined up for them. They’d been snorkelling, dolphin watching and had lunch in an underwater restaurant. Sidney wouldn’t tell her much about anything he had planned as he loved to surprise her and in truth, although she teased him about it, she loved being surprised.

Sidney had once promised her romance, and he had certainly delivered on that promise time and again. He loved buying her gifts and taking her out to nice places. He always made her feel like the most special person in the world. But Charlotte also enjoyed doing the normal day-to-day stuff with him like going to the shops, cooking together and watching TV – just sharing her life with him made her so happy.

“So do I get any clues at all about what we’re doing today?” Charlotte asked as she slipped on a light summer dress over her bikini.

“Well, I thought we’d have a quiet day at the villa, if that’s OK?” replied Sidney.

“A quiet day sounds good.”

“But we do have plans for this evening.” He was starting to get nerves at the thought of it.

“We do?” She asked playfully.

“Yes – it is New Year’s Eve after all.” He said, coming closer to her and taking her in his arms.

“Ah yes it is! Happy anniversary!” Charlotte said giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Sidney smiled at her cuteness “And to you!”

“I have something for you.” Charlotte said, breaking apart from Sidney and going to her suitcase and bringing out a small box. “Don’t expect much – it’s kind of a joke!”

“OK…” He opened the box and inside were a pair of smart 8-ball cufflinks. He smiled, remembering their first game of pool this time last year. “Ah I see – very good! Thank you.” He said, giving her a lingering kiss. “You’ll have to wait till later for your surprise.”

She sighed. “Very well. Shall we go to breakfast?”

He chuckled again. “Yes, breakfast, come on.”

***********

Sidney and Charlotte had a relaxing day which they spent swimming in their private pool and reading by the poolside. As the time got closer to the evening activity Sidney had planned, he started to get increasingly nervous and twitchy, although he tried not to show it to Charlotte. He had had to give away some information to her in order for his plan to work. This involved revealing that there would be dinner and that she may like to wear something nice. When Charlotte was getting ready in the bathroom, he took the opportunity to collect the package hidden in his sock, stuffing it into the pocket in his shorts. Now the item was on his person, it felt more real that this was actually happening.

When it was time to go, they went to the jetty to catch a boat, just as the sun was almost set. After a short ten minute journey, they approached an Island with a secluded beach which was lit up by torches. Sidney helped Charlotte off the boat and they were met by their waiter for the evening who escorted them to their private dining table. The table was situated on the beach under a canopy decorated with fairy lights with the chairs facing out towards the ocean. On the sand under the canopy were scattered rose petals in the shape of a heart. The waiter poured them some wine and handed over the menu.

Sidney looked at Charlotte who had not said a word, apart from a polite thank you to the waiter, since they’d alighted from the boat. She was scanning the menu and biting her lip slightly.

“Charlotte? Are you OK?” Sidney asked.

“Yes, sorry.” She said shaking her head “This place… being here… it’s taken my breath away.” Sidney smiled at her as she continued. “You seem to have a habit of rendering me speechless. Every time I think you’ve reached the top of the romance scale, you seem to exceed it again. Puts my anniversary gift to shame.”

“I loved your anniversary gift!” Sidney protested.

“That’s nice of you to say, but you can’t really compare it to this.” She said looking around her.

“Charlotte.” He said, taking her hand and looking at her seriously. “I love you. So please just let me spoil you.”

Charlotte took a deep breath. “OK, sorry.”

“And please stop apologising.”

“Sorry…”

She looked up to him and they shared a giggle.

Dinner was delicious, although Sidney was struggling to enjoy it due to his nerves, the weight of the package in his pocket serving as a reminder of what was to follow. He wondered whether Charlotte had suspected anything. He kept finding himself gazing at her, completely mesmerised by her beauty, her wit and her sense of humour. After dessert had been served, he suggested they take a short stroll along the beach where the torches lit the way. He took her by the hand and intertwined his fingers with hers.

“That meal was amazing!” Charlotte said. “Another perfect date Sidney Parker.”

“Do I get full date points then?” Sidney asked playfully.

“Yes definitely!”

“No regrets about changing your New Year’s plans?” He asked, half seriously.

“God no! I’m having the most wonderful time with you.” She replied giving him a dazzling smile.

“Good.”

They were now far enough away from the table for them to have a private conversation without the waiter and chef watching. Sidney stopped and turned to Charlotte, taking both her hands in his, the sound of the sea lapping the shore the only thing they could hear.

“Do you remember that morning after we first met, and before you got the phone call about Alison, what I said about our first night together?” He asked.

“Yes… you said it was probably one of the best nights of your life.” She replied.

“Yes, because it was. I fell in love with you that night.” He said, his gaze intense, his eyes searching hers.

Charlotte’s heart started racing. “You did?”

Sidney nodded. “I nearly didn’t come to the party you know.”

“Really?”

“No. As you know, New Year wasn’t an occasion I relished celebrating. Crowe and Babington only just persuaded me to come.”

“Then we have them to thank for our chance encounter?”

“Yes, but we won’t tell them that! I find that New Year has a much more agreeable meaning to me now.”

“Is that so?” Charlotte teased.

“Yes.” He said smiling, but then his look became serious again. “Because the truth is that ever since that night, a year ago, you’ve consumed my mind… my heart… my soul.” He paused. Her eyes were shining brightly in the torch light as she looked up at him nervously. Sidney let go of Charlotte’s hands and reached into his pocket, taking out the small package he had been carrying with him all evening. He got down on one knee and opened the box which revealed a stunning diamond ring. Charlotte gasped and brought her hands to her face in surprise.

“Charlotte, I love you. I’ve loved you since the moment I met you. And I want to spend the rest of my life loving you… Will you marry me?”

Silence fell and Sidney’s heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest. Charlotte was still stood with her hands over her face in shock. Time stood still for a moment and her silence was starting to make him panic, until he saw the tears which were falling her eyes.

After what seemed like an eternity to Sidney (although in reality it was only about 15 seconds) Charlotte removed her hands from her face and breathlessly replied. “Yes… Yes of course I will!” He rose from the ground instantly, and kissed her fervently, pressing her to him – one hand still carrying the box with the ring. They broke the kiss, their foreheads still touching as they both let out a giggle of joy.

“God I love you!” Charlotte said, her tears of happiness still falling down her cheeks as she brought her hands to his face.

“You nearly had me worried there!” He stated, unable to stop smiling.

“Sorry. It was all rather overwhelming!”

“You’re forgiven…” He replied, kissing her again. “Do you want to put on the ring?”

“Yes! Yes please.”

He drew back from her and brought the box round in front of her. The ring was just what she would have wanted. It had one large diamond in the middle, with two slightly smaller diamonds either side. Sidney carefully took out the ring.

“May I?” He asked. Charlotte nodded enthusiastically. He took her left hand and gently slotted the ring on her finger. They both stared at Charlotte’s hand for a moment, taking in the ring’s significance, before coming back together to share in another passionate kiss. And in that moment there was joy, there was contentment and there was love - all of which had come about because of a chance encounter on New Year’s eve, one year ago.


End file.
